n 




LIFE AND TIMES 



HOPKINTON, N. H. 



-TNT THREE FARTS. 



PART I. — Descriptive and Historical. 
PART II. — Personal and Biographical. 
PART III. — Statistical and Documentary. 



By C. C. LORD. 



ftontaxb, ft. p.: 

Republican Press Association, 22 North Main Street. 
1890. 

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PREFACE. 



In the compilation of Life and Times in Hopkinton, 
N. H., the author has borne in mind the recent increase of 
historical and biographical labors in various localities in 
New Hampshire and other states. Hence, the contents of 
this volume are specially localized, having direct relation 
to affairs literally in Hopkinton. Events occurring else- 
where are mentioned mainly to show the connection be- 
tween matters at home and matters abroad, rather than 
to establish facts in the general history of the state and 
nation. 

The elaboration of Part I is intended to include narra- 
tions extending over the whole period of the existence of 
this township from 1736 to the close of -1889, inclusively, 
the principal events being considered in chronological order, 
the minor ones, so far as detailed, being in many cases 
reserved for more desultory mention. Part II is not, and 
is not intended to be, specially genealogical : the terms 
''personal" and "•biographical" imply the purpose and 
scope of this section of the work. The title of Part III is 
sufficiently explicit. 

This and other works of its kind comprise three varieties 
of statement. In the first place, there are facts established 
by public or private records, official or personal in nature; 
in the second place, there are the partial or probable facts 
asserted upon the authority of direct or indirect witnesses ; 
in the third place, there are the assumed facts of local repute 
or tradition. The author of this volume is not so presump- 
tuous as to deny the possession of the common liability of 
human nature to commit errors in the compilation of such 



IV PREFACE. 

a work. He expects the kind consideration of all those of 
his readers who have engaged in similar labors ; he cour- 
teously asks the same consideration of the rest. 

The author of Life and Times in Hopkinton, N. H., 
is indebted to friendly assistance from many present and 
former citizens of the town. His thanks are due to Hon. 
George W. Nesmith of Franklin, Dea. Daniel F. Secomb of 
Concord, Hon. Isaac W. Hammond of Concord, and others. 
The researches of Alonzo J. Fogg, Esq., once a brief resi- 
dent of the town, have been of important assistance. San- 
born's "History of New Hampshire," "New Hampshire as 
It Is," Fogg's "Gazeteer of New Hampshire," McClintock's 
" History of New Hampshire," and Harriman's " History of 
Warner " are among the works consulted in preparing this 
volume. The researches of the Rev. N. F. Carter have also 
been brought into requisition. 

The task of collecting material for this work was begun 
about eighteen years ago, and has been pursued in a some- 
what desultory way since. In 1889, a number of prominent 
gentlemen of Hopkinton kindly offered their influence in 
favor of an appropriation by the town in aid of its publica- 
tion. As a result of this influence, on March 11, it being 
the annual town-meeting day, the town generously voted 
$500 in aid of the implied enterprise, and chose a committee 
to receive and expend the amount at their discretion. This 
committee consisted of Herman W. Greene, Rev. Francis H. 
Lyford, Walter S. Davis, Eli A. Boutwell, and Horace L. 
Choate. On the 18th of the next April, this committee, 
having examined the same, formally decided that the 
work called Life and Times in Hopkinton, N. H., was 
a suitable one for publication. The further acts represent- 
ing the town are embodied in the transactions of the com- 
mittee mentioned. 



6^37 



CONTENTS 



Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 
Chapter 



PART I. 

I. Geographical .... 

II. Primitive Life 

III. Civilized Incentives 

IV. Primitive Documents 

V. First Meeting of Grantees 

VI. The Lots and the Township . 

VII. The Settlement . 

VIII. First Meeting in Number Five 

IX. A Struggling Township . 

X. Early Perils of War 
XL The Mason Claim . 

XII. The Bow Controversy . 

XIII. The Incorporation of Hopkinton 

XIV. First Annual Town-Meeting in Hopkinton 

XV. Sundry Events between 1765 and 1776 

XVI. The Revolution ..... 
XVn. Sundry Events from 1776 to 1783 . 

XVIII. A Constitutional Town-Meeting 

XIX. Controversy over the Meeting-House . 

XX. Trouble with the Minister 

XXI. Sectarian Town-Meetings . 

XXII. The County Buildings 

XXIII. Sundry Events from 1784 to 1799 . 

XXIV. The Beginning of a New Century 

XXV. Sundry Events from 1800 to 1804 . 

XXVI. The Development of National Politics 

XXVII. Sundry Events from 1804 to 1811 . 

XXVIII. The Second War with England . 

XXIX. Sundry Events from 1813 to 1818 . 

XXX. Two Memorable Events . 



3 
7 

10 
11 
14 
17 
20 
23 
25 
29 
35 
39 
42 
45 
50 
57 
66 
69 
73 
78 
83 
87 
90 
96 
99 
101 
103 
107 
111 
114 



9o 



VI CONTENTS. 

Chapter XXXI. Sundry Events from 1819 to 1823 . . 116 

Chapter XXXII. The Formation of a New County . . 118 
Chapter XXXIII. Sundry Events from 1824 to 1830 . 120 

Chapter XXXIV. The Jackson Presidential Campaign . 124 
Chapter XXXV. The Census of 1830 . . . .126 
Chapter XXXVI. Sundry Events from 1831 to 1836 . 127 

Chapter XXXVII. A Legal Tragedy . . . .131 

Chapter XXXVIII. Sundry Events from 1837 to 1844 . 134 
Chapter XXXIX. The Great Railroad Controversy . . 140 
Chapter XL. Sundry Events from 1845 to 1850 . . 142 

Chapter XLI. The Introduction of the Railroad . . 145 

Chapter XLII. Sundry Events from 1851 to 1855 . . 148 

Chapter XLIII. A Political Crisis 150 

Chapter XLIV. Sundry Events from 1856 to 1861 . . 153 

Chapter XLV. The Great Rehellion 155 

Chapter XLVI. Sundry Events from 1862 to 1872 . . 169 
Chapter XLVII. A New Town-House . . . .172 
Chapter XLVIII. Sundry Events from 1873 to 1880 . 175 
Chapter XLIX. The Free High School . . . .177 
Chapter L. Memorial Services for President Garfield . 180 
Chapter LI. Sundry Events from 1881 to 1889 . . .181 

Chapter LII. Ecclesiastical History 183 

Chapter Lltl. Ecclesiastical History (concluded) . . 189 
Chapter LIV. Educational History . . . . . 197 

Chapter LV. Hopkinton Academy 200 

Chapter LVI. Contoocook Academy ..... 204 
Chapter LVII. Military Organizations .... 206 

Chapter LVIII. Secret Societies 208 

Chapter LIX. Special Intellectual Institutions and Enterprises 213 
Chapter LX. Taverns and Hotels . . . . .216 
Chapter LXI. An Agricultural Sketch .... 222 
Chapter LXH. A Sketch of Manufactures . . . 226 

Chapter LXIII. A Short Sketch of Trade . . . .230 
Chapter LXIV. Customs and Associated Events . . 232 
Chapter LXV. Customs and Associated Events (continued) 237 
Chapter LXVI. Customs and Associated Events (continued) 244 
Chapter LXVII. Customs and Associated Events (continued) 249 
Chapter LXVIII. Customs and Associated Events (conclud'd) 259 
Chapter LXIX. Items and Incidents .... 266 



CONTENTS. 



Vll 



Chapter LXX. Items and Incidents (continued) 
Chapter LXXI. Items and Incidents (continued) 
Chapter LXXIL Items and Incidents (concluded) 



273 

280 
288 



PART II. 

Section I. Adams — Annis . 
Section II. Bacon — Balch . 
Section III. Barnard — Brockway 
Section IV. Brown — Buswell 
Section V. Call — Chandler 
Section VI. Chase — Choate 
Section VII. Clark — Connor 
Section VIII. Copps — Cutler 
Section IX. Danforth — Dwinnells 
Section X. Eastman — Evans 
Section XI. Farrill — Flanders . 
Section XII. Fletcher— Fuller . 
Section XIII. Gage — Guild 
Section XIV. Hale — Harrington 
Section XV. Harris — Huntoon . 
Section XVI. Johnson — Kimball 
Section XVII. Kimball — Knowlton 
Section XVIII. Lerned — Lyford 
Section XIX. Merrill — Morse . 
Section XX. Nichols — Patterson 
Section XXI. Perkins — Putney 
Section XXII. Quimby — Runnels 
Section XXIII. Sanborn — Smith 
Section XXIV. Spencer — Symonds 
Section XXV. Taggart — Weeks 
Section XXVI. Wells— Young . 

part in. 



301 
304 
309 
316 
323 
328 
336 
344 
354 
361 
364 
371 
380 
389 
398 
409 
420 
426 
433 
440 
445 
453 
461 
472 
480 
489 



Leading State Officers resident in Hopkinton 
Representatives ...... 

County Officers ...... 

Town Officers since the Incorporation . 
Supervisors of the Clieck-list 



497 
497 
499 
500 
514 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

Post-masters in Hopkinton ....... 514 

Militia Field and Staff Officers 514 

Members of State Constitutional Conventions . . . 516 

The Census of Hopkinton at Different Times . . . 516 

Governor's Vote in Hopkinton ...... 516 

The Orthodox Faith . 519 

Early Members of the Church ...... 520 

Deacons of the Town Church ...... 523 

A Summary (Inventory and Industrial Items) . . . 523 

Copy of Ebenezer Blasdel's Indenture ..... 523 

The Will of John Jones 524 

Copy of Deed of Negro Slave ...... 528 

The Petition of Abel Powell 529 

An Interesting Educational Document ..... 530 

Subscriptions (for the purchase of a bell) .... 532 

Lydia Gile 534 

A Famous Prize * . . 535 

Our Forests . . . 537 

Centennial Celebration of the Baptist Church in Hopkinton . 540 

A Sacred Concert ........ 543 

Reminiscences of Hopkinton ...... 545 

Revolutionary Papers ........ 553 

Euphonious Names ........ 557 

Errata 564 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



PORTRAITS 



Boutwell, Eli A. 
Brown, Abram . 
Brown, Alpbeus R. 
Burnham, John . 
Chadwick, Hiram 
Chase, Horace 
Chase, Horace G. 
Choat, Horace L. 
Clough, Moses Tenney 
Connor, James M. 
Currier, Stephen 
Davis, Walter S. 
Frye, Amos 
George, Paul R. . 
Greene, Herman W. 
Harvey, John M. 
Jones, John F. 
Kimball, Betsey T. 
Kimball, John S. 
Lerned, Ebenezer 
Long, William H. 
Lyford, Francis H. 
Perkins, George H. 
Perkins, Hamilton E 
Ray, John C. 
Silver, Abiel 
Stanley, Clinton W. 
Stanwood, Joseph 



315 
60 
247 
96 
295 
124 
330 
336 
338 
222 
347 
226 
378 
382 
232 
401 
239 
150 
418 
25 
197 
432 
155 
446 
275 
183 
473 
230 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Tyler, Cyril C .484 

Webber, Seth . . 260 



EDIFICES. 



Baptist Cburch . 

Congregational Church 

Episcopal Church 

Freewill Baptist Church 

Methodist Church 

Residence of Robert R. Kimball 

Residence of Walter S. Davis 

Summer Cottage of Horace G. Chase 

The Perkins Inn 

William H. Long Memorial Building 



MAPS. 



Map illustrating the Bow Claim 
Number Five 



45 

14 
69 
111 
140 
172 
355 
237 
216 
213 



39 
3 



GROUP PICTURE. 

Col. Putnam Post No. 5, G. A. R. 



208 



Part I. 



DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL. 



LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON, N. H. 



CHAPTER I. 

GEOGRAPHICAL. 

The town of Hopkinton, in New Hampshire, is situated 
in the central portion of the state. Embraced in Merri- 
mack county, Hopkinton lies on the southern boundary, 
occupying a middle position. Hopkinton is bounded on 
the north by Warner and Webster, on the east by Con- 
cord, on the south by Bow, Dunbarton, and Weare, and 
on the west by Henniker. Beginning at the north-west 
corner, Warner bounds this town on the north for 1,027 
rods, in a slightly irregular line, to the boundary between 
Warner and Webster. Beginning at the eastern end of 
the boundary between Hopkinton and Warner, the bound- 
ary between Hopkinton and Webster takes a southerly 
course for a distance of 84 rods ; then turning eastward, 
the same boundary continues in a straight line for a dis- 
tance of 981 rods, to the north-east corner of Hopkinton. 
Concord bounds Hopkinton on the east, in a slightly irreg- 
ular line, for a distance of 2,304 rods. Beginning at the 
south-east corner of Hopkinton, Bow forms its southern 
boundary, in a straight line, for a distance of 416 rods ; 
Dunbarton, in a straight line, continues for a distance of 
641 rods ; Weare, in a slightly irregular line, completes 
the southern boundary of Hopkinton at a distance of about 
1,079 rods, the line between Hopkinton and Weare being 
uniform with the division between Merrimack and Hills- 
borough counties. Henniker, in a slightly irregular line, 
bounds Hopkinton on the west for a distance of 2,162£ 
rods. The area of this town is said to be 26,967 acres. 

The surface of the town of Hopkinton is, like the gen- 
eral surface of land in the vicinity, uneven, but less so 
than the surface of some others, and more rugged than 
that of some of the adjacent towns on the banks of the 
Merrimack river. The unevenness of the surface of this 
town is expressed in gentle undulations, allowing compar- 
atively easy approaches to all the eminences. There is a 



4 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

more important ridge of land running northerly and south- 
erly a little east of the territorial centre of the town, and 
which from earlier times has been known as Putney's hill, 
extending for a distance of two or three miles. A slight 
depression about the middle of the summit of this ridge 
divides it into two brows, the northern of which being 
sometimes called Gould's hill. It is an interesting fact, 
that on Gould's hill, and in other places in the vicinity, . 
the surface of the earth is grooved in a direction parallel to 
the main ridge, the effect of agencies exerted in early 
geological time. Some of the grooves are quite deep. 

Another ridge, somewhat parallel to the first and a little 
further east, lies partly in this town and partly in Con- 
cord, the dividing line between the two towns running 
very near its summit, and is known as Beech hill. There 
are several other prominent elevations wholly or partly in 
the town, as Clement's hill, in the north-west corner ; 
Dimond's hill, in the south-east part ; Hoyt's hill, in the 
south of the town. The balance of the territory is mostly 
composed of valleys, plains, and other low lands. The 
gently undulating character of the surface, throwing the 
rougher outlines of surrounding country into the distance, 
affords extremely picturesque views of landscapes, when 
seen from the higher points of observation. The surpass- 
ing beauty of the prospect from Putney's hill has made the 
locality celebrated far and wide. 

Fogg's " Gazetteer of New Hampshire " says, — " The 
views obtained from Putney's hill are some of the finest and 
most extensive to be found in the state. At the north can 
be distinctly seen Mooshillock, in Benton, while a little 
further to the east are the White Face and Chocorua's 
peak, in Sandwich, Waterville, and Albany ; at the north- 
east, the Gilmanton mountains, in Gilford ; at the east, the 
Catamount, in Pittsfield, and Fort mountain, in Epsom ; 
further to the south are the high hills in Francestown and 
Deering ; at the south-west, the towering summit of the 
Monadnock, in Jaffrey, is in full view ; at the west, the 
Sunapee lifts its lofty crest ; at the north-west, right before 
you, stands the old Kearsarge or the central monarch of 
this vast chain of mountains, which make a circumference 
of nearly two hundred and fifty miles ; while at your feet 
can be seen the villages, the farm-houses, the meadows, 
and the broad intervales, through which meanders the Con- 



GEOGRAPHICAL. 5 

toocook, whose limpid waters sparkle in the summer sun- 
beams. On this hill mountains and hills in seven of the 
ten counties in the state can be seen." 

A noticeable feature of the geography of this town is 
implied in its mineral waters. There are numerous springs 
reputed to yield such waters, but there is one location of 
such springs that bears considerable celebrity. Scarcely 
any person has been in Hopkinton for a considerable time 
without at least hearing of the Hardy springs. These 
springs have been noted in local history since the earlier 
times, and considerable merit has been ascribed to their 
waters. The waters of these springs have been taken in- 
ternally and applied externally, and there are not a few 
people who have been gratified with their effects. Chemi- 
cal analysis has determined the ingredients of these waters, 
but we have never seen the formula, though the presence 
of iron, sulphur, magnesia, and perhaps other minerals is 
claimed for them. 

The Hardy springs are located in the north-west part of 
the town, in the neighborhood euphoniously known as the 
Hardy corner. There are more of these springs than have 
ever been utilized. About sixty years ago, the land upon 
which these springs are located was owned by Isaac Hardy. 
At that time Nehemiah, Tyler B., and George B. Hardy 
dug out four or five of these springs, encompassing one of 
them with a wall of stone. Since then wooden boxes have 
been put in one or more of the springs, but at present 
little care is taken of them, and there are, perhaps, not 
more than three springs open. 

We are not able to state what special therapeutic proper- 
ties, if any, are ascribable to the waters of the Hardy springs. 
They have been often sought in cases of humor and skin 
poisoning from contact with the poisonous ivy. Doubtless 
many people have experienced relief from the simple tonic 
or laxative effect of these waters. 

The territorial drainage of Hopkinton is effected mostly 
by the Contoocook river and its tributaries. The princi- 
pal stream enters the town from Henniker, at a point about 
half way between the extremes of the line joining the two 
towns, and, pursuing a very tortuous course, crosses the 
boundary between Hopkinton and Concord at a point very 
near its northern extremity. On its northern banks, it 
receives the waters of Clough's or Clement's, Grassy, and 



6 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Rolfe's ponds, in the north-west part of Hopkinton, as well 
as the Warner and Blackwater rivers, which become its 
tributaries nearer its eastern exit from this town. On its 
southern bank, the most important tributaries are the Paul 
brook, draining the Great Meadows and other adjacent ter- 
ritory in the more western part of the town ; and DollofFs 
brook, draining much of the eastern and central part, 
receiving in its course the waters of Smith's pond, a nat- 
ural reservoir of water just west of Hopkinton village. 
Contoocook river receives a number of smaller streams in 
its progress through the town. In the south-eastern part 
of Hopkinton are Farrington's and Spofford's brooks, run- 
ning waters that find their way into Turkey pond, in Con- 
cord ; and on the various outskirts is minor drainage that 
makes its way into most or all the surrounding towns. 
The larger streams of this town afford many profitable sites 
for water-power, the most important of which is on the 
Contoocook river at the village of the same name. 

The soil of the town of Hopkinton is uniform with that 
which is included in much the larger portion of New 
Hampshire, being geologically known as granite or gneissic 
soil, formed by the disintegration and depuration of gran- 
ite and gneiss. In their proximate composition granite 
and gneiss are much the same, both being combinations of 
mica, feldspar, and quartz, though the arrangement of the 
particles of gneiss is such as to favor a flaggy cleavage. 
There is a marked trace of iron in the soil of this town, 
particularly on Hoyt's hill, where the rills often run red 
with oxide of iron. In many places ferruginous sand can 
easily be picked up with a magnet, selecting spots where 
the wash of rains has collected a fine, earthy detritus. 
The soil of the hills is often underlaid by a very compact, 
clay subsoil ; but the surface is easily friable, and, barring 
the frequent accumulations of rocks and stones, is easy of 
cultivation. The banks of the Contoocook river are allu- 
vial, and free from impediments to agriculture, though their 
lowness favors their frequent flooding in times of excess of 
water. In the north part of the town is some plain, sandy 
land, composing the principal exception to the generally 
fertile character of the soil of the township. 

The village of Hopkinton, beautiful in situation and sur- 
roundings, occupies the plain just east of the southerly 
brow of Putney's hill. It is seven miles from Concord, 



PRIMITIVE LIFE. 7 

and contains from fifty to one hundred buildings. Its 
streets are supplied with numerous shade-trees that aid to 
make it one of the most attractive villages in the state. 
Three miles to the north-west, and beyond Putney's hill, is 
the village of Contoocook, larger than Hopkinton village, 
and a railroad station at the junction of the Concord & 
Claremont and Concord & Peterborough lines of railroad. 
The location of Contoocook upon the river of the same 
name affords a water-power that has always been a prom- 
inent source of its prosperity. Contoocook is a beautiful 
village, which, seen from Gould's hill, spreads out in a 
charming manner on either side of the stream for which it 
is called. These are the only villages in Hopkinton. 

The town of Hopkinton has a history which has given it 
both fame and pride. The more special particulars of its 
historical career are to be found in subsequent chapters of 
this volume. 



CHAPTER II. 

PRIMITIVE LIFE. 

Such facts as we are able to obtain indicate that, when 
the territory now included in the town of Hopkinton first 
became known to civilization, its surface was extensively 
covered with heavy growths of forest. Among forest 
growths, both trees of hard and soft wood were found. 
On higher elevations, the growth of forest was of a mixed 
character, or the hard woods predominated. In lower 
tracts, softer woods had the ascendency. Of the hard 
wood trees, oak, ash, birch, beech, maple, chestnut, etc., 
were abundant, while elm was quite plenty in the lower 
and lighter soil. Among softer woods, there was a large 
representation of the different kinds of indigenous pine, 
with an abundance of hemlock, and a lesser quantity of 
spruce and fir. Trees of lesser importance in the different 
constructive arts were found in the relative degree of dis- 
tribution noticed in the forests of the present day. It is 
hardly necessary to add, that, among all the trees of the 
primitive forests, there were many of stately height and of 
gigantic proportions. 



8 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

It is said that there are in New Hampshire ninety spe- 
cies of native grasses, excluding ferns, sedges, clover, and 
the like, which, botanically speaking, are not grasses. 
Only nine or ten of the native grasses, however, are fit for 
culture. Many of our native grasses, too, are woodland 
varieties. [See Report of the New Hampshire Board of 
Agriculture, Vol. VI, 1876, p. 47.] The woodland, and 
probably the field, varieties of indigenous grasses were rep- 
resented in this town. The extant historical data furnish 
little or no absolute knowledge of their exact quality or 
availabilit}^ to civilization. Doubtless to some extent, 
especially in the instance of lowland varieties, the white 
settlers were able to utilize the native grasses of this town- 
ship, as their descendants now do. 

The primitive beasts of the earth were many in number 
and largely savage in character, though the tamer species 
were well represented. Bears, wolves, lynxes, wildcats, 
with the ferocious panther, were the most formidable ene- 
mies to human safety. Foxes and other comparatively or 
wholly harmless animals of the smaller quadrupedal species 
were swarming without number. Moose and deer were 
the only herbivorous quadrupeds that afforded any val- 
uable products of the chase. The birds of the air were 
both predaceous and innocent. Of predaceous varieties of 
the winged tribes, the eagle, hawk, and owl were the most 
important. The wild turkey, the pigeon, and the grouse 
were birds of useful, edible qualities. The crow was an 
ever-present airy inhabitant of this territory. The word 
Contoocook is said to mean crow-place. Of the musical 
feathered tribes, there were all the kinds that now exist. 
The streams and ponds of this town, with fuller banks than 
now, swarmed with fish. Pike, perch, trout, and less val- 
uable existing representatives of the finny tribes were pres- 
ent in great numbers, while salmon and shad were abun- 
dant in their spawning seasons. Among the reptiles, the 
rattlesnake was the only venomous instance. 

The wild red man was the only human inhabitant to 
enjoy all the bounteous gifts and sustain all the dangerous 
liabilities of local nature. The native Indian of this local- 
ity belonged to the tribe of Penacooks, who were subjects 
of the celebrated Passaconaway, the chief sagamore known 
to the civilized settlers. The Penacooks were a warlike 
tribe, whose principal settlement was in the vicinity of the 



PRIMITIVE LIFE. 9 

present city of Concord. The word Penacook is said to 
mean crooked-place, reference being made to the tortuous 
course of the Merrimack river in the vicinity of our cap- 
ital city. The Indians living in this vicinity had their 
favorite local haunts, one of these being on the banks of 
the Warner river, near its mouth. Many relics of this 
Indian race have been found on this spot. In the rooms 
of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society can be seen 
various Indian implements, plowed up at the point named. 
Many of these were contributed by Cyrus Dustin, upon 
whose land they were found. Indian relics have been 
occasionally found in different places in this town. On 
the western bank of the brook running from Chase's tan- 
nery, coursing through land of Horace Edmunds, was for- 
merly a large rock, cleft in such a manner as, by the assist- 
ance of a little mechanical contrivance, to be able to afford 
considerable space for shelter. This rock was said to have 
been a favorite winter resort of some of the Indians inhab- 
iting this vicinity. The eastern aspect of the spot, the 
sheltered valley, and the proximity of the running brook 
conspired to make the selection a desirable haunt in the 
extreme weather of winter. 

The Indians of this vicinity, like all others, existed 
mostly by hunting and fishing with bow and spear ; yet 
there was some cultivation of corn, and possibly some of 
the succulent vegetables, conducted mostly or wholly by 
the women. Their habitations were wigwams, and their 
dress of prepared skins of beasts. They had amulets and 
ornaments of minerals or shells. Their ornamental devices 
were also sometimes quite ingenious. Feathers were also 
used in expressing the badge of chieftianship in their 
rulers, or, possibly, for more general purposes of adorn- 
ment. 



10 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER III. 

CIVILIZED INCENTIVES. 

An association of pioneers, entering upon life in a coun- 
try new to civilization, is generally governed by some 
predominant social ideal. A recent political writer says 
there are three motives, of which one or another sways the 
mind of migratory human society. These three incentives 
are a warmer climate, political freedom, and religious, lib- 
erty. Inceptive migratory schemes, however, express mo- 
tives that are subject to modification as the new society 
becomes more multiple, and its individual interests become 
more and more particularized. 

When, in 1620, the pilgrims from the Mayflower landed 
on Plymouth rock, the common breast of the small band 
of colonizers was stirred with a dominant religious motive, 
which mounted to the degree of enthusiasm. The incep- 
tive social ideal, however, could not always maintain its 
original force. After a century of local experience and 
multiplication, the greater social movements of civilization 
in New England exhibited phenomena in which religion 
assumed more the attitude of an effect than of a cause. 

The first civilized settlers of the wild territory of the 
present town of Hopkinton were mostly or wholly English 
speaking people, social descendants of those who first 
sought the inhospitable wilderness of New England for the 
privilege of liberty of conscience in the worship of God. 
In seeking a new home in the locality of this township, the 
sons and daughters of the elder New England colonizers 
could not entertain the colonizing motive of their social 
ancestors, since they enjoyed in their old homes as much 
religious .liberty as they would have in their new ones. 
They brought their religion with them as a free, fatherly 
inheritance. 

For more than a century after Ferdinando Gorges and 
John Mason obtained a patent of .Laconia, in 1622, following 
which patent settlements began in the territory now known 
as New Hampshire, the location of our present political 
state occupied a position more or less upon the border- 
land of civilization. A few miles away from the older set- 
tlements were extensive tracts of new land awaiting the 



PRIMITIVE DOCUMENTS. 11 

advance of the civilized pioneer. The young, strong, and 
enterprising of any age could not treat such a social oppor- 
tunity with indifference. The privileges implied in a virgin 
soil, independent homes, constructive social growth, and 
the accumulation of wealth, induced the earliest settlers of 
Hopkinton to leave the land of their fathers, and encounter 
the rougher features of the crude wilderness. 

The legal conditions under which the settlers of Hopkin- 
ton received their grant are expressed in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER IV. 

PRIMITIVE DOCUMENTS. 

The township of Hopkinton, at first called Number Five,, 
was granted by the Province of Massachusetts Bay to citi- 
zens of Hopkinton, in that province, who entered and took 
possession, in circumstances that are subsequently de- 
scribed. The following is a copy of the record of the 
original grantees, showing the legal authority under which 
they held their grant. It will be observed that the date 
" 1735," preceding the report of Edmund Quincy, and 
again before the order of the House of Representatives, is 
in error, being an accidental substitution of the date 1736. 
The copy of the record is given verbatim et literatim : 

At A Great and General Court, 

or Assembly for His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay, 
in New England, began and held at Boston, upon Wednesday, the 
Twenty-eighth day of May, 1735 ; and continued by Several Ad- 
journments, to Wednesday, the Nineteenth day of November ; and 
further Continued, by adjournments, to Wednesday, the Thirty-first 
Day of December following, and then met 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1735. 

Edmund Quincy, Esquire, from the Committee of both Houses, 
on the Petitions for Townships, &c, gave in the following Report, 
Viz. : — 

The Committee Appointed the fourteenth Currant, to take into 
Consideration the Several Petitions for Townships, now before the 



12 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Court, and Report what may be Proper for the Court to do there- 
on, Having met and mutually Considered the same, Are Humbly of 
Opinion That there be a Careful View and Survey of the Lands 
between Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers, from the North west 
Corner of Rumford on Merrimack to the great Falls on Connecti- 
cut, of Twelve Miles at the least in Breadth on North and South, 
by a Committee of Eleven able and Suitable Persons, to be Ap- 
pointed by this Court : Who shall, after a due knowledge of the 
Nature and Circumstances thereof, lay the same into as many 
Townships of the Contents of Six Miles Square, as the Land in 
Wedth as aforesaid will allow of, No Township to be more than Six 
Miles East and West ; and also Lay out the Land on the East side 
of Connecticut River from said Falls to the Township laid out to 
Josiah Willard and others, into as many Townships of the Contents 
of Six Miles Square, as the same will allow of, and also the Land 
on the West Side of the River of Connecticut from said Falls, to 
the Equivalent Land, into One or Two Townships of the Contents 
of Six Miles Square, if the same will allow thereof : Five of which 
Committee to be a quorum for Surveying and Laying out the Town- 
ships on each, from Rumford to Connecticut River as aforesaid ; 
And Three of the Committee aforenamed shall be a Quorum for 
Surveying and Laying out the Townships on each side of Connecti- 
cut River as aforesaid : And that the said Committee make Report 
of their Doings to this Court at their Sessions in May next, or as 
soon as Conveniently they can, that so the Persons whose Names 
are Contained in the Several Petitions hereafter mentioned, Viz., 
In the Petition of Hopkinton, In the Petition of Salisbury & 
Almebury, In the Petition of Cambridge, In the Petition of 
Bradford & Wenham, In the Petition of Haverhill, In the 
Petition of Milton & Brookline, In the Petition of Samuel Cham- 
berlain & Jonathan Jewett, and in the Petition of Nathaniel 
Harris, &c, In the Petition of Stephens and Goulden and others, 
In the Petition of Morgan Cobb, &c, Jonathan Welles, &c, Lys- 
comb and Johnson, &c, In the Petition of Isaac Little, &c, In the 
Petition of Jonathan. Powers, &c, John Whitman, Esq., &c, Sam- 
uel Haywood, &c, Josiah Fasset and others, John Flynt and 
others, Jonathan Howard and others, of Bridge water, that have not 
heretofore been admitted Grantees or Settlers, within the Space of 
Seven Years Last Past, of or in any former or other Grant of a 
Township or Particular Grant, on condition of Setling; and that 
shall Appear and Give Security, to the Value of Forty Pounds, to 
Perform the Conditions that Shall be Enjoyned by this Court, may, 
by the Major Part of the Committee, be Admitted Grantees into 
One of the said Townships ; The Committee to give Publick Notice 
of the Time and Place of their meeting to Admit the Grantees ; 
Which Committee Shall be Impowered to Employ Surveyors and 
Chainmen, to Assist them in Surveying and Laying out said Town- 



PRIMITIVE DOCUMENTS. 13 

ships. The Province to bear the Charge & be Repaid by the Grant- 
ees who may be Admitted, the whole Charge they shall Advance ; 
which Committee we Apprehend ought to be Directed and Impow- 
ered to Admit Sixty Setlers in each Township and take their Bonds, 
Payable to the Committee and their Successors in the said Trust, to 
the Use of the Province for the Performance of the Conditions of 
their Grant, Viz., That each Grantee Build a Dwelling House of 
Eighteen feet square, and Seven feet stud at the Least, on their 
respective Homelotts, and Fence in and break up for Plowing, or 
Clear and Stock with English Grass, Five Acres of Land within 
Three years next after their Admittance, and Cause their Respec- 
tive Lotts to be Inhabited ; and that the Grantees do, within the 
Space of Three years from the time of their being Admitted, build 
and Finish a Convenient Meeting House for the Publick Worship 
of God, & Settle a Learned, Orthodox Minister : And in Case any 
of the Grantees shall fail or Neglect to Perform what is Enjoined 
as above, The Committee Shall be Obliged to Put the Bonds in 
suit, and take Possession of the Lotts and Rights that Shall become 
forfeit and Proceed to Grant them to other Persons that will Appear 
to fulfill the Conditions within one year next after the said last 
mentioned Grant : And if a Sufficient Number of Petitioners that 
have no Grant, within Seven Years as aforesaid (Viz., Sixty to each 
Township), do not Appear, others may be Admitted, Provided they 
have fulfilled the Conditions of their former Grant ; the Committee 
to take care that there be Sixty-three House Lotts Laid out in as 
Regular, Compact and Defensible a manner as the Land will allow 
of, One of which Lotts Shall be for the first Settled Minister, One 
for the Second Settled Minister, And One for the School ; to each 
of which an equal Proportion of Lands Shall Accrue in all future 
Divisions. 

Fryday, ) 

January 16, 1735. j 

Iisr the House of Representatives : 
Ordered, That Joseph Gerrish, Benjamin Prescot, Josiah Willard, 
Job Almy, Esquires, Mr. Moses Pierson, and Captain Joseph Gould, 
with such as the Honorable Board Shall join, be a committee to all 
Intents and Purposes, to Effect the Business Projected by the 
Report of the Committee of both Houses, to Consider the Petitions 
for Townships, which pass'd this Day, Viz., On the Proposed Line 
between Merrimack & Connecticut Rivers, and on both sides of 
Connecticut River ; And that there be granted and allowed to be 
Paid out of the Publick Treasury, after the Rate of Fifteen Shil- 
lings Per Diem, for every Day he is in the Service in the Wood, & 
subsistence, & Ten Shillings Per Diem for every Day to each One 
of the said Committee while in the Service in Admitting Settlers 
into the said Townships, and subsistence, to be paid as aforesaid. 



14 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In Council, Read and Concur'd : 
And William Dudley, Samuel Welles, Thomas Berry, Joseph 
Wilder, and John Chandler, junr, Esquires, are Joined with the 
Committee of the House, for the Line between Merrimack and Con- 
necticut River, &c. 

At a Great and General Court, 
Held in Boston, the Twenty-fourth Day of November, One Thou- 
sand Seven Hundred and Thirty Six, the following Vote Passed the 
two Houses and was consented to by the Governor, Viz. : 

Voted, That John Jones, of Hopkinton, Esqr., be and hereby is 
fully authorized and Impowered to Assemble and Convene the 
Grantees, or Proprietors, of the Township Number Five, lying in 
the Line of Towns between the Rivers of Connecticut and Merri- 
mack, in such Place as they Shall be Notified and Warned to Con- 
vene, and Assemble at, in Order to Chuse a Moderator, and Clerk, 
and Committee to Allot and Divide their Land, and to Dispose of 
the same, and to Pass such Votes and Orders as by them may be 
thought Conducive for the Speedy fulfillment of the Conditions of 
the Grant, and also to Agree upon Methods for Calling of Meet- 
ings for the fut. use ; Provided none of their Votes Concerning the 
Dividing or Disposing of their Lands that shall be Passed while 
they are under the Direction of the Committee of this Court Shall 
be of force before they are Allowed of by said Committee. 



CHAPTER V. 

FIRST MEETING OF GRANTEES. 

John Jones, of Hopkinton in Massachusetts, empowered 
to convene the grantees of Township Number Five in New 
Hampshire, did not delay. The call issued by him is given 
in full in this chapter, together with the minutes of the 
subsequent meeting. The record shows evidence of pre- 
vious organized action of the future actual proprietors, in 
pursuance of the conditions of the grant. The following 
is the call : 

Hopkinton, Janr. 22d, 1736-7. 

Pursuant to an Order of the great and general Court or assembly 
of his Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New Eng- 
land : These are to Certify the Proprietors or Grantees of the new 
township number five on the line of Towns lying between Rumf ord 
and Connecticut River that they assemble and meet on Monday the 



W 
O 

o 

o 

w 
o 

> 

-3 



> 
f 

o 

DC 
G 
W 

o 

DC 




FIRST MEETING OF GRANTEES. 15 

fourteenth of February next att the house of Mr. James Morris Inn- 
holder in hopkinton att Ten of the Clock in the fournoon then and 
there to transact on the following particulars : 

1st. To Choose a Moderator & a Proprietor's Clerk & Committee 
for manageing the affair of the new Town. 

2dly. To receive the return of the Committee and Surveyor ap- 
pointed to lay out the home Lotts. 

3dly. To grant money to defray the Charges of the said Survey 
& other necessary Charges already arisen and further prosecuting 
of the New Township. 

4th. To draw their house lotts and agree upon proper methods 
for laying out and dividing and disposing of all or Part of the land 
in said Township as the proprietors shall think proper. 

5thly. To determine how Meetings shall he called for the future 
& finally to act transact all such other things as may then be thought 
proper for the Service and advantage of the Society. 

John Jones. 

Vera Copia. 

Chars. Morris, proprietors' Clerk. 

The above and foregoing call was duly regarded and 
obeyed by the proprietors of the new township, as the fol- 
lowing record attests : 

Att a Meeting in Hopkinton february ye fourteenth Seventeen 
hundred & thirty Six & Seven legally called by Order of the great 
& general Court and Pursuant to the warrant the following articles 
were voted and consented to: 

1. That Capt. John Jones be the Moderator. 

2. That Charles Morris be the proprietors' Clerk. 

3. That Ebeneser Kimble be the Treasurer. 

4. That the Plan of the Committee as laid out under the Several 
reservations be received. 

, 5. That each proprietor hold his lott according to the number 
drawn by him & manifested in the abovesaid Plan. 

6. That each proprietor pay the Sum of Twenty Shillings to the 
Committee that laid out the lotts, and twelve pence more each for 
a Kittle & Chain & Twenty two Shillings more therwith for the Plan. 

7. That no proprietor shall have liberty to sell his lott without 
leave obtained first from the Propriety. 

8. Granted Twenty pounds to Clear the Road from Rumford to 
the Centre of the Town, and as far on the Roads of the town North 
& South as the said money will pay — the whole to be left to the 
management of the Committee. 

9. That a Committee be Chosen to finish the first Division, & to 
lay out Sixty acre lotts for a second division, & each man to draw 
his lott ; and if there is any then dissatisfied with their lotts, they 



16 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

shall have liberty to apply to the Committee who are impowered to 
view the said lotts, and if there is just reason for complaint, They 
are to equalize them by setting of a portion of land at the Charge 
of the Society, but if no just reason, then the persons so applying 
must bear the Charge of the Committee. 

10th. That John Quarles be admitted as a proprietor in the Room 
of Joseph Houlton, John Benny in the Room of Samuel Watkins, 
Samuel Beaver in the room of Joseph Gold & Daniel Stone in the 
room of Joseph Caller . . . Claflen in . . . Room of Danl. Claflen, 
Junr. 

11. That there be three men Chosen as a Committee to lay out 
the Second lotts and that Joseph Haven, Ebeneser Kimble & Henry 
Mellons be the Committee. 

12. Granted Twenty five pounds to be paid to that person that 
undertakes to build a Mill in the propriety near the Place of the 
Reservations provided he will have the mill compleated on or before 
the first day of December next and that he will keep the Same in 
good Repair for five years next ensuing the money to be paid by 
the first of December next and in case he does not keep the Same 
in repair then shall the money be returned 'T is agreed that prefer- 
ence shall be given to the Persons that owns the lotts where the 
reservations are made ; and that the whole be left to the manage- 
ment of the Committee chosen to lay out the second lotts. 

13. That when tenn f amilys are settled the proprietors will main- 
tain preaching there. 

14. That Andrew Watkins, Abner Bixbe, Joseph Bixbe, Samuel 
Woodwill, Benjamin Carrell, Edward Carrell, Jonathan Houlton & 
Daniel Bailey shall have an equal lott in the new township they 
paying five pounds each of them and paying all Other Charges 
arising and giving sufficient Security to settle the Same according 
to the Court acts & further to Settle the same in Person or by their 
Children or they that refuse to comply herewith to have six pounds 
allowed & paid them. 

David Burnap & Daniel Stone appeared and entered their dissent 
against this last vote. 

15. That Mr. Kimble be impowered to give notes of hand to the 
Persons that Chuse Six pounds and also to take bonds of the Per- 
sons that Chuse to settle and receive the five pounds of them. 

16. That Thomas Pierce, Samuel Gold & Thomas Gold be ad- 
mitted according to Vote fourteenth. 

David Burnap entered his dissent against this vote. 

17. That John Goady be repaid his Eleven Shillings & Six pence. 

18. That Charles Morris, Thomas Walker & Jacob Gibbs be a 
committee to apply to to call meetings for the future. 

Attes : 

John Jones Moderator. 
A true Coppy — 

Chas. Morris Clerk. 



THE LOTS AND THE TOWNSHIP. 17 

The clerk further records, — 

The above Votes were presented to the Court's Committee and 
on December 8th 1737 were accepted and allowed oft except the 
Seventh Vote the Tenth Vote & the Seventeenth Vote as also the 
Dissents against the fourteenth Vote & the dissents against the Six- 
teenth Vote as pr Coppy of Votes on file. 

Charles Morris, proprietors' Clerk. 

The foregoing proceedings afford sufficient evidence of 
the unfinished condition of the affairs of the proprietors in 
anticipation of the actual occupation of Number Five. 
Although the causes of the dissent of the court's committee 
to certain acts of the grantees are not specified, and the 
record of their dissent is somewhat obscure, reasons may at 
least in part be readily conceived. In regard to the seventh 
vote, it appears that each grantee, having become the legal 
possessor of a right in the new township, held it in fee 
simple, with power to dispose of the same ; in regard to the 
tenth, the General Court had already prescribed the legal 
method by which a grantee could be equitably substituted ; 
in regard to the seventeenth, there was probably a simple 
contravention of equity. The fact that there was no serious 
obstruction to the admission of new proprietors is evident 
from the names of such appearing frequently in the pro- 
gressive record of the transactions of the incipient township.. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE LOTS AND THE TOWNSHIP. 

Immediately after the close of the record of the first 
meeting of proprietors, subsequently to the grant, the fol- 
lowing inscription occurs upon the pages of the clerk's 
book. 

Here followeth a list of all the Original Proprietors, who had 
given bond to the Court's Committee, with the Number of each 
man's lott, in the same line with his name : — 

On the road leading to Rumford, on the South Side. 
2 



18 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

No. 1 John Jeffords 

2 . . . Henry Mellen 

3. ....... Eben'r Locke 

4. ....... Elias Haven 

5. . . . . . . . . Jacob Gibbs 

On the road leading to Rumford, on the North Side. 

No. 1. ....... James Lock 

2. ....... John Brewer 

3. ....... James Nutt 

4. ....... Josiah Watkins 

5 . . . Thomas Mellon 

6. ....... Thomas Bixbes 

On the North Range, beginning att the Meeting house on the 
East side. N. E. 20 degrees. 

No. 1 • Richard Potter 

2 Rev. Mr. Sam'l Barret 

3. ....... David Fauster 

4 . Nat'l Haven 

No. 1, a triangular lott . . ... . Thomas Walker 

N. W. 14 deg. 2 Henry Walker 

3 Caleb Claflin 

5. ..... Charles Morris 

6. ..... Jason Walker 

7. ..... John Jones 

8. ..... John Bowker 

9. ..... Elisha Haden 

10. ...... Ebenezer Coller 

11. ...... Samuel Streater 

12. . . . . . . Joseph Coller 

13 Matthew Taft 

14 John Walker 

On the North Range, beginning at the Meeting house on the 

west side. 

No. 1. ....... The minister's 

2 John Weston 

3 Nath'l Smith 

4. ....... David Burnap 

1 a triangular Lott .... Edmund Bowker 

5. ....... Ministerial Lott 

6 School Lott 

7. ....... . Eleazer Gile 

8 Daniel Mellen 

9. . ... . . . • • James Morris 



THE LOTS AND THE TOWNSHIP. 19 

No. 10. ........ Joseph Haven 

11. . . . . . . . David Wood well 

12. ....... Matthew Lackey 

13 Robert Claflin 

On the South Range, beginning at the meeting house on the west 
side. 

No. 1. ....... Joseph Gould 

2. ....... . James Wilson 

3. . . . . . . . . Daniel Claflin 

4 Mark Whitney 

5. ....... Joshua Claflin 

6. ....... John Quarles 

7 Eben'r Claflin 

8. . . . . . . . Jedediah Haven 

9. ....... . Benj'a Carril 

On the South Range, beginning att the meeting house, on the 
East side. 

No. 1. ....... Paul Langdon 

2. ....... . George Carril 

3. ...... . Samuel Watkins 

4. ....... . Samuel Frail 

5. ....... . Joseph Holton 

6. ....... . Peter How 

7. ....... Simpson Jones 

8. ....... . Jabez Potter 

9. ...... . Daniel Claflin, jun. 

10. ....... Cornelius Claflin 

These Lotts lying att the Taile of the Lotts, on the East Side of 
the north range. 

No. 1. ...... . Ebenezer Kimball 

2. ....... . Isaac Whitney 

The above arrangement of lots shows the occupied parts 
of the township to be on the north, east, and south, while 
the west is still a wilderness. A primitive map of the town- 
ship, embodied in the proprietors' record, affirms its repre- 
sentation of "No. 5, granted to the inhabitants of Hopkin- 
ton, and contains the Quantity of six miles square, & is 
protracted by a scale of 200 perch to an inch." This map 
was constructed in 1736, the boundaries of Number Five at 
the time being defined as, on the north, " No. 1, granted to 
Salisbury & Almsbur}?" men," and " Contoocook Township, 
granted to John Coffin, &c. ; " on the east, " Rumford ; " 



20 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

on the west, " No. 6, granted to John Whitman, Esq., &c." 
Beginning at the north-western angle of the town, the fol- 
lowing distances are read: "North 84°, 30" east, 390 
perch ; " then follows a southerly jog of 140 perch ; then 
" north, 75 east, 1049 perch ; " again " north, 15 west, 2100 
perch ; " further, " north 84° 30" east, 2038 perch ; " lastly, 
" north, 15° west, 2100 perch." 

The intelligent reader is doubtless aware that, reviewing 
the boundaries of this map, ." Number 1, granted to Salis- 
bury & Almsbury men," is now the town of Warner; 
" Contoocook Township, granted to John Coffin, &c," is 
the original town of Boscawen,- now including Boscawen 
and Webster ; " Rumford " is Concord, also called " Penna- 
cook " in the early Proprietors' Record of this town ; " No. 
6, granted to John Whitman, Esq., &c," is now Henniker. 
The distances recorded in this "protracted" evidence of a. 
survey do not coincide with those given in the first chapter 
of this volume as mathematical boundaries of the town of 
Hopkinton. The discrepancy is doubtless the result of in- 
exactness in the first surveys of the territory of Number 
Five. The map under consideration gives no interior loca- 
tions beyond tracing the entrance and exit of Contoocook 
river and defining measurably two of its tributaries — appar- 
ently Dolloff's brook and Blackwater river, the latter flow- 
ing into Number Five from Contoocook township. The 
course of the Contoocook river through this town is not 
traced. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE SETTLEMENT. 

In many respects, the settlement of township Number 
Five is involved in historical obscurity. Certain particu- 
lars relating to the situation in this case are reserved for 
future narration. The inceptive movements of the grantees 
have been briefly described. The progressive work of ad- 
mitting grantees, confirming rights, and encouraging set- 
tlements continued for a considerable time. 

On the 29th of March, 1737, Andrew Watkins, Abner 
Bixby, Joseph Bixby, Samuel Woodwill, Edward Carrel, 
Jonathan Noulton, Thomas Pierce, Daniel Bailey, Samuel 



THE SETTLEMENT. 21 

Gold, and Thomas Gold were admitted by vote, the terms 
to be equal with others. Eighteen hundred acres of land 
were also voted to John Brewer and Daniel Claflin, for the 
"benefit of the Society," to admit six persons to settle- 
ment. 

On the 31st of the following May, a gratuity of five 
pounds each was voted to Daniel Claflin, Sr., and Richard 
Potter, provided that they would settle, with their families, 
in the new township before winter. 

On the 20th day of the next December, one hundred 
acres of land were granted to John Jones, Esq., for public 
services to the proprietorship. This act rescinded a vote 
upon the same proposition on the 29th of March, passed in 
the negative. 

On the 29th of March, 1738, at a meeting adjourned 
from the previous 15th instant, the proprietors passed the 
following vote : 

Agreeable to the Eleventh Article granted to Henry Mellon the 
the Sum of Twenty five pounds of money to be paid Some time in 
June next on Conditions that he builds a Saw mill and Setts it 
agoing by the last day of October next (on the Reservation) and 
keeps the said Mill in Repair for three years next ensuing and give 
each of the Proprietors an Equal right of Sawing their boards 
according to the Number of their rights and two Shillings & Six- 
pence p. hundred during the term of the said three years. 

The proprietors chose assessors, collectors, treasurers, and 
committees, and exhibited energy and enterprise in the pre- 
paratory work of settlement. Special diligence was shown 
in the direction of opening the road from Rumford to the 
centre of the new township, from which fact we conclude 
that Rumford was intended as a base of domestic supplies. 

It is not to be inferred, however, that the proprietors of 
Number Five were so immaculate as to escape controversy. 
There are numerous evidences of a lack of perfect harmony 
in their proceedings. The records of names entered in 
protest against acts of the proprietors in assembly are by 
no means infrequent. 

On the 20th of December, 1737, Henry Mellen, for him- 
self, as well as proxy for seven others, and sixteen others in 
person, recorded their names in protest against the act giv- 
ing John Jones 100 acres of land for his services in aid of 
securing the proprietorship of the new township. 

On the 29th of the next March, James Nutt and fifteen 



22 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

others entered a lengthy protest specially against the act 
empowering John Brewer and Daniel Claflin to dispose of 
1,800 acres of land. The protest asserted that the pro- 
priety pretended " to give away near one quarter of said 
Township for little or nothing, and the Major part may as 
well give away all the Remainder except what is already 
laid out." The sentiment embodied in this protest seems 
to have been effective, for, on the day it was entered, the 
position of Brewer and Claflin as a committee was qualified 
by an instruction. It appears there were six men, pros- 
pective settlers, viz., Henry Mellen, Joseph Haven, John 
Benny, James Nutt, Peter How, and Thomas Walker, 
who were ready to pay 180 pounds for the tract of 1,800 
acres ; and the proprietors voted to instruct the committee 
to dispose of the same to any parties who would give the 
sum named or more, or, if they saw cause, they could relin- 
quish their rights as a committee. The protest of Nutt 
and others, as well as another of John Jones and thirteen 
others, of the same date as the first, indicated a contro- 
versy in regard to the eligibility of certain proprietors to 
vote at the regular meetings, the individuals appearing to 
have not fully complied at the time with all the conditions 
of the grant, and the indication being that they did not 
vote. Strange as it may seem, on the 2d of March, 1739, 
the proprietors chose Henry Mellen an agent to represent 
them in a suit already begun against them by John Jones. 

Between March and October, 1738, we have no record of 
any meeting of the proprietors. Doubtless the time was 
occupied measurably with the affairs of actual settlement. 
We have no positive knowledge in regard to the person 
who first began domestic operations in Number Five. Tra- 
dition ascribes that distinction to Richard Potter. With- 
out attempting to narrate an uncertainty, we pass to the 
general fact that there was a sufficient settlement in Octo- 
ber of the year 1738, to insure the privilege of a legal 
meeting, the first in the territory of the new township. 

A prefatory note to the record of the incorporating char- 
ter of the present town of Hopkinton says, — 

This Township was taken up to he settled, after it was granted 
& laid out by Order of the General Court of the Province of Massa- 
chusetts Bay, by the inhabitants of Hopkinton, in said Province, 
under the name of Number five of the Line of Towns, And was by 
them called New Hopkinton. 



FIRST MEETING IN NUMBER FIVE. 23 

CHAPTER VIII. 

FIRST MEETING IN NUMBER FIVE. 

The following is the record of the call and minutes of 
the first meeting of the proprietors of Number Five in the 
new township : 

These are to notify all the Proprietors of the New Township 
Number five bordering on Rumford to meet at the house of Mr. 
Henry Mellen in the Said Township near the Meeting house Spot 
on Thirsday the nineteenth day of October next ensuing at nine of 
the Clock in the morning there to act on the following articles : 

1st. That whereas there is Several Lotts already layed out that 
are complained of as not convenient for Settlement whether the 
Propriety will choose a Committee to view the Said Lotts and if the 
Said Committee find the Lotts not convenient for Settlement that 
they be impowered to lay out new Lotts convenient for Settlement 
and Situation. 

2ndly. Whether the Propriety will choose a Committee to lay 
out a road from the Camp meadow to the Meeting house and from 
thence to the River and to lay out what other roads the Propriety 
think proper. 

3rdly. To See whether the Propriety will come into Some method 
to flow the meadows. 

41y. To See what further Encouragement the Propriety will give 
towards building a Saw Mill. 

51y. To choose a Proprietors Clerk and Committee man to call 
Meetings for the future in the room of Charles Morris and what 
allowance they will grant for his Service hitherto. 

6hly. To choose a Committee to present the votes to the Courts 
Com-tee for approbation. 

7hly. To See if the Proprietors will grant furthur Sums of 
money for the use of the Propriety. 

81y. To See if the Propriety will adjourn this meeting to receive 
the report of the Committee that Exchanges the Lotts. 

Joseph Haven ) 
Isaac Whitney >• Com-tee. 
Thomas Walker ) 

Hopkinton, Septr 30th, 1738. 

A true Coppy Examd By Henry Mellen, Clerk 

At a Meeting of the Proprietors of the New Township number 
five bordering on Rumford at the house of Henry Mellen in Said 
Township on Thirsday the nineteenth day of October, 1738 : 

1st. Joseph Haven was chosen Moderator of Said Meeting. 



24 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

2dly. Put to vote whether the Propriety would choose a Commit- 
tee to view Such house or home lotts in Said Township as are Com- 
plained of as not fit for Settlement & if Sd. Com-tee find Sd. lots 
not fit for Settlement to lay out new lotts in their room Passed in 
the affirmative. 

3dly. Then voted that Henry Mellen, Timothy Knowlton, Eben- 
ezer Goddard, Samuel Brewer, and Timothy Clements he a Com-tee 
to view the lotts as above Said, and if need be to lay out new ones 
in their room. 

41y. Voted that Henry Mellen Timothy Knowlton and Richard 
Potter be a Committee to lay out highways for the conveniency of 
the Proprietors of the Township No. 5. 

5tly. Voted that there be a highway layd out from Rumf ord line 
to the meeting house Spot or place ; also from thence to Cuntoo- 
cook river on the west Side of the meeting house Hill So called 
where they shall think proper ; also to lay out a highway on the 
east Side of the Hill To accommodate the lotts on the east Side of 
the north range ; also to lay out a highway from the meeting house 
place to the great meadow So called & from the meeting house to 
the Township No. 6 : These all pased in the affirmative. 

61y. Voted that the Common Meadows in No. 5 be flowed on the 
Proprietors Cost. 

7hly. Voted that there be thirty pounds of money more given in 
addition To the Twenty five pounds formerly granted towards the 
incouragment of building a Saw Mill on the Reservation To any 
man that will build Said mill by the 19th Day of October anno 
Domini 1739. 

81y. Voted that Henry Mellen be Proprietors Clerk for the 
Township No. 5. 

9hly. Voted that Ebenezer Goddard be a Com-tee man To call 
meetings in the room of Charles Morris. 

lOly. Voted that there be Thirty pounds in Bills of Public Credit 
raised and gathered on and of the Proprietors of No. 5 Towards the 
defraying of the Charges of flowing the Common meadows in the 
S. Township. 

Illy. Voted that Henry Mellen be the man to receive the Thirty 
pounds and lay out the Same for the use of the Propriety in flow- 
ing of the Common meadows in No. 5. 

121y. Voted that there be one hundred pound Raised and geth- 
ered on and of the Proprietors of No. 5 for the clearing and mend- 
ing of the highways in Sd. Township. 

131y. Voted that this meeting be adjourned untill monday ye 
23d Day of October Currant, at Twelve of the Clock to the house 
of Henry Mellens in No. 5 Bordering on Rumford. 

Joseph Haven, Moderator. 

The record of the adjourned meeting is as follows : 




Dr. Ebenezer Lerned. 



A STRUGGLING TOWNSHIP. 25 

October 23d, 1738. The Proprietors according to adjournment 
met at time and place above Sd. and the Com-tee viz. Henry Mel- 
len, Timothy Knowlton, Ebenezer Goddard, Samuel Brewer and 
Timothy Clements reported that they had laid out Six lotts in lieu 
of Six lotts that they found not fit for Settlement Said six lotts 
being laid out on the road or highway that leads to Rumford about 
Six Score rods to the east of the last range and the Proprietors of 
the Sd. Six Insufficient lotts drew their lotts in Exchange accord- 
ingly 

14hly. Voted That the lott No. 1 (in the Exchanged lotts) be 
granted in lieu of the lot No 1 in the Skew lotts on the east Side of 
the north range & the lot No. 2 in lieu of the lot No. 2 in the 
Skew lots on the east side of the north range : No. 5 in the lieu of 
No. 1 in the Skew lotts on the east Side of the north range : No. 3 
in the lieu of No. 2 lying at the tails of the lotts on the east Side of 
the north range ; No. 4 in the lieu of No. 5 on the east side of the 
north range ; No. 6 in the lieu of No. 14 on the east Side of the 
north range as the Said Exchange lotts are butted and bounded. 

151y. Voted that Isaac Whitney, Thomas Walker & Ebenezer 
Goddard be a Committee to present the votes of the Proprietors of 
the new Township No. 5 bordering on Rumford To the General 
Courts Com-tee for their approbation. 

Joseph Haven, Moderator. 

A true Coppy Examd p. Henry Mellen, Clerk. 



CHAPTER IX. 

A STRUGGLING TOWNSHIP. 

By the records of the meeting called for the 19th of 
October, 1738, we have seen the evidence of a new town- 
ship established and occupied. The infant community had 
begun a career of hopeful prosperity. It is hardly neces- 
sary to state that the centre of the new township Number 
Five was on Putne}^'s hill. A person who now takes a 
position of observation on this hill, selecting a point near 
the junction of the old village road, from the east, with the 
northerly and southerly bill road, cannot fail to locate the 
direction, if not the exact courses, of the highways con- 
structed in fulfillment of the 5th vote of the aforesaid 
meeting. 

The new township did not flourish according to its first 



26 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

anticipation. The period from 1738 to 1765 witnessed a 
variety of sources of trial. The progressive settlement of 
Number Five was subject to various annoyances and hin- 
drances. Doubtless rights were relinquished on the part of 
different individuals from numerous causes. We might 
mention particularly a group of ten persons who, in the 
progress of events, came to be known as " the ten men." 
Some or all of these were included in the list of ten who 
were voted into the propriety on the 29th of March, 1737. 
It seems that these men were a prolonged source of discus- 
sion, since they never complied fully with all the condi- 
tions necessary to make them actual proprietors. On the 
30th of March, 1739, an article was inserted in the call for 
a meeting on the 24th of the next May, as follows : 

To hear & consider the proposals yt. some of both parties have 
concerted respecting the ten men who claim rights in the Said new 
Township & to act thence as the Proprietors shall think fit which 
proposals are as followeth viz. That such of those ten men or their 
legal representatives as shall come with or Send to Sd. meeting good 
and Sufficient Bonds to the acceptance of the Proprietors for the 
payment of thirty pounds for and towards the Building of a meet- 
ing house and Setling & maintenance of a minister and also consent 
to pay a proportionable part of the Public charges that have arisen 
or shall arise in Said new Township untill it be set off by the Gen- 
eral Court & furnished with ordinary town power & privileges Shall 
notwithstanding their non Compliance with the Conditions of for- 
mer votes or grants be admitted to a right equall to others in all 
divisions of Land in Said Township & shall be freed from any obli- 
gations to settle their Lots. 

It appears that this matter dragged along till 1753, when, 
on the 14th of November, the following act was passed : 

Voted that the ten men shall be Excluded from their Settelling 
their Paying the Thirty Pounds Each. 

On the 24th of May, 1739, a number of important acts 
were passed as follows : 

Thirty pounds granted to be expended for preaching the gospel 
untill the last of October next Ensuing. 

Granted the Sum of Sixty pounds towards the building a pub- 
lick meeting house. 

Voted that Edward Godward, Esq., and Joseph Haven Be 
Agents to prosecute & defend any Action or Actions Suit or Suits 
in the Law on Behalf of the Proprietors as necessity may require 



A STRUGGLING TOWNSHIP. 27 

And also to present the votes of the Proprietors to the General 
Courts Committee for their approbation. 

Voted that a meeting house he huilded & finished by the last of 
October next Ensuing the date hereof & that the meeting house be 
35 foot in length & 25 feet in Breadth & 8 feet between joints with 
a Bavil Roof. 

The reader will be peculiarly interested in the following 
act, passed May 29, 1740 : 

Voted that there be Eight Shillings pr. Day allowed to those that 
have spent their time in killing Rattle Snakes in Sd. Town. 

In 1757, the first minister of the township was ordained. 
Preaching had been supported apparently at intervals, and 
the proprietors, on the 8th of September, anticipated the 
ordination by the following acts : 

Voted to Settle Mr. James Scales as a Gosple Minister in this 
place. 

Voted 450£ old Tenor to be Raised to Defray the Charges of 
the ordaining Mr Scales. 

Voted Five men to be a committee to make Provision for the 
ordination of Mr Scales. 

Voted Lt Aaron Kimball Mr. Stephen Hoyt Mr. John Putney 
Mr. Daniel annis, Mr Joseph Putney be a committee to make Pro- 
vision for the ordaining Mr Scales. 

' Voted Mr David Woodwell Lt Aaron Kimbal Mr Thomas Mer- 
rill to be a committee to invite churches to assist in the ordaining of 
Mr. Scales. 

Voted the 23d day of November Next to be the day to ordain 
Mr. Scales on. 

Voted not to Build a meeting House at Present. 

Voted to call in the money that the ten unsettled Rites was to 
give toward Settleing a Gospel minister in this place. 

Voted that the above Said committee which was appointed to 
Make Provision for the ordination of Mr James Scales to Receive 
the money of the ten Proprietors for Not Setteling of Rites and to 
make use of the Sd. money according to the above vote. 

Voted to give Mr James Scales Sixty Spanish milled Dollars or 
Equivelent in Paper bills yearly as Long as he does Performe the 
Business of a Gospel minister in this Township. 

Voted that Provision to be made in Six Places in this Town for 
Suporting the People that Shall attend the ordination of Mr 
Scales. 

Voted that Lt Aaron Kimbals Mr Matthew Stanley Mr Stephen 
Hoyts Mr Peter Hows Mr Samuel Putneys Mr Joseph Putneys; 
be Houses of Entertainment for People at Mr Scales ordination. 



28 LIFE AID TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

James Scales was duly ordained at the time selected by 
the vote of the proprietors. The same day a church was 
organized with the following ten members : James Scales, 
David Woodwell, Aaron Kimball, Jonathan Straw, William 
Peters, Joseph Eastman, Jr., Peter How, Abraham Colebe, 
Matthew Stanley, Enoch Eastman. 

On the 1st of December, 1759, William Peters was elected 
the first deacon, and the church was then a complete eccle- 
siastical function. 

The vote deferring the building of a meeting house sug- 
gests the fact that repeated votes to build had as yet proved 
futile. 

It appears that during the period under consideration a 
saw-mill was built. The following act, passed November 
14, 1753, throws a ray of light upon the matter: 

Voted that those men that Built the saw mill Shall have ten acres 
of Land about Said mill as convenant and what Land Said mill 
pond flows on the undivided Land. 

On the 24th of September, 1765, the proprietors passed 
the following act relating to a corn-mill : 

Voted to Nathaniel Clement Eighty acres of Land one the north 
side of the Grate Roade to Rumford said Land Lying Between the 
Land that John Blaisdel and Joshua Baley now owns so Long as 
the said Clement his Heirs and assigns shall Keep a corn mill in Re- 
pare on ardows brook so called on said Land as also the privilege of 
Keeping a pond wheare he now flows so long as the said Clement 
keeps a Corn mill in Repare on said Brook and the privilege of one 
acre of Land abought his House. 

The history of the township during the period mentioned 
is involved in peculiar obscurity. An idea of the situation 
in this respect is revealed by the fact that there was no pub- 
lic record for the year 1741, nor from 1743 to 1750, nor for 
1752, nor from 1754 to 1756, nor for 1759, nor from 1762 to 
1764. There were three great sources of trial during this 
time. They were War, the Mason claim, and the Bow 
controversy. These matters will be considered in order in 
succeeding chapters. 



EARLY PERILS 'OF WAR. 29 

CHAPTER X. 

EARLY PERILS OF WAR. 

From 1744 to 1763, the New England colonies endured 
the hardships of almost continuous war. King George's 
War, or the War of the Austrian Succession, involved the 
governments of England and France in a struggle over 
the throne of Germany. Hence the boundaries of the Eng- 
lish and French colonies in America became border lands 
of contention. The Seven Years' War was a contest for 
boundaries between the English and the French. Hence 
the New England colonies were equally involved in war 
in either case. There are evidences of early mutterings of 
war in the early records of the proprietors of Number Five. 
In the call for a meeting to be held on the 29th of 
May, 1740, the following article was inserted : 

To chuse one or more meet persons to prefer a Petition to the 
General Court on the Behalf of the Propriety praying that they 
maybe allowed such time (Beyond the time Limited In their Grant) 
to i'ullfill their Duty of Setling as the Court Shall think fit In Re- 
spect of the danger of War. 

The following is the action upon the article : 

Put to vote whether they will Send a man or men to present a 
Petition to the General Court for a further time to Do their Duty 
in Settling their lots or rights In Sd. Township by reason of the 
War — past in the neg-e. 

The perils of war did more to disturb the continuous 
prosperity of the new township than all other causes com- 
bined. They were the potent cause of the repeated suspen- 
sion of the records, through the enforced absence of many 
residents. In the event of war, the French in Canada 
became the allies of the Indians, who repeatedly made a 
prey of the English frontier settlements. In view of these 
hostile wild men, and the dangers from their attacks, three 
garrisons were early built in Number Five. They were 
Kimball's garrison, which stood near the spot now occupied 
by James K. Story, on the road from Hopkinton village to 
Concord; Putney's garrison, where James Scales was or- 



30 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

dained, and which stood near the spot now occupied by the 
ancient, empty house owned by the heirs of Moses Rowell, 
on Putney's hill ; Woodwell's garrison, which stood near 
the residence of Eben Morrill, a half mile east of Contoo- 
cook village. In spite of these constructive precautions, 
the inhabitants of Number Five were •repeated sufferers by 
the incursions of Indians. 

On the early morning of April 22, 1746, eight persons 
were captured by Indians at Woodwell's garrison. They 
were David Woodwell, Mrs. Woodwell, their daughter 
Mary, their sons Benjamin and Thomas, Samuel Burbank, 
and his sons Caleb and Jonathan. The garrison stood on 
the east side of the road now leading to the Hopkinton 
village and Contoocook road from Mr. Morrill's house, and 
the stockade, where the cattle were kept, was on the oppo- 
site side of the path, in a field now owned by Henry H. 
Andrews. In the early morning mentioned, a man had 
gone from the garrison to the stockade, leaving the garri- 
son door open. By this door, the Indians, who had been 
lurking near, entered and surprised the occupants. 

A soldier escaped. Mrs. Burbank, wife of Samuel, sprang 
to the cellar, and concealed herself under a barrel which 
stood on its end. Mrs. Woodwell had a struggle with an 
Indian, from whom she wrested a long knife, which she 
cast into the well. Mary Woodwell, who was only sixteen 
years old, at first resisted captivity, and an Indian present- 
ed a musket to her breast, but another Indian, named Pen- 
no, who had received kindness from her father, interfered, 
saved her life, and took her for his own captive. The 
Indians making this capture were of the St. Francis tribe, 
with head-quarters near the Canada line, and they intended 
to hold their victims for ransoms, or to sell them to the 
French, who held them for the same objects. Conse- 
quently the eight persons, aroused from their early beds, 
were marched hurriedly towards Canada. Their line of 
progress was through the present town of Warner, along 
the valley of the Warner river a distance of five or six 
miles, thence through Sutton and New London as now 
located, passing the easterly shore of Little Sunapee lake 
in New London, and the westerly shore of Mascoma lake 
in Enfield, thence to the Connecticut river, thence to the 
St. Francis, at the outlet of which into the St. Lawrence 
river was an Indian hamlet, the destiny of the company. 



EARLY PERILS OF WAR. 31 

The Indians and their captives were twelve days on their 
march through the then almost or quite unbroken wilder- 
ness. The Indians allowed but one meal a day, and that 
one at evening, when they would cook and eat. Their food 
was mostly meat, of which there appears to have been a 
scanty supply. At one encampment, being scantily sup- 
plied, they killed a dog, of which Mary Woodwell refused 
to eat. Seeing this, Pernio shot a woodpecker for her 
supper. Arrived at the St. Francis hamlet, Mary was sold 
to an Indian squaw, and Jonathan Burbank was also left in 
an Indian family. The other six captives were taken to 
Quebec, where Samuel Burbank and Mrs. Woodwell died 
of yellow-fever while in prison. David Woodwell, his two 
sons, and Jonathan and Caleb Burbank eventually secured 
release, the latter by means of funds derived from Chelms- 
ford, Mass., where the following record is shown : 

For David Woodwell of New Hampshire and Jonathan Burbank 
of Penacook, to assist them to go to Canada to attempt the redemp- 
tion of the daughter of said Woodwell and the brother of said Bur- 
bank, Captivated at New Hopkinton by the Indians in April, 1746 : 
Feb. 5, 1749, was collected £13 8s. to be equally divided between 
them. 

This money secured Caleb Burbank's release, but it would 
not have redeemed Mary Woodwell but for strategy. The 
St. Francis squaw was extremely penurious, and refused to 
sell Mary for anything less than "her weight in silver." 
The aid of a French resident of Montreal was secured, and 
he at length induced a French physician of great repute 
among the Indians to connive for Mary's release. The 
doctor advised her to feign sickness, and his medicine 
helped on the deception. The squaw was then advised to 
sell the captive, represented as hopelessly ill, and, being 
alarmed, she took the advice. Mary's price, paid by the 
French agent, was 100 livres, the equivalent of $1 8.50. It 
is needless to add that Mary Woodwell rapidly recovered 
after this transaction. After three years of captivity among 
the Indians, during which time she planted and hoed corn, 
pounded samp, gathered wild fruits for the markets, and 
performed other hard tasks devolving upon a female cap- 
tive in her situation, Mary was taken to Montreal, where 
she remained six months. She was then taken to Albany 
by Dutchmen, who had been to Canada to redeem slaves 



32 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

taken b} r the Indians; from Albany, she returned to Hop- 
kinton, Mass., the place of her birth. 

In recounting the foregoing narrative of the capture at 
WoodwelPs garrison, we have been greatly assisted by an 
article on " Mary Woodwell," written by the late Walter 
Harriman, and published in Volume IV, No. 6, of the Gran- 
ite Monthly. 

A scout of twenty persons from Exeter came to Wood- 
well's garrison, by way of Boscawen and Warner, a few 
days after the capture, and found only a mare and two 
colts on the premises. On the tenth of November of the 
same year, a Mr. Estabrooks was killed by the Indians, 
when returning from Rumford, where he had been for the 
medical services of Dr. Ezra Carter. Estabrooks was only 
three quarters of a mile from Rumford when killed. The 
names of parties remaining in Number Five during the wars 
are only partially known to us. A petition to Governor 
Benning Wentworth, desiring military assistance, and pre- 
sented July 13, 1747, contained the names of Samuel Put- 
ne} 7 ", Abraham Colby, Matthew Stanley, John Putney, 
Daniel Chase, and Daniel Chase, Jr. Another petition of 
January 2, 1748, " by inhabitants of Rumford, Canterbury, 
and Contoocook," is said to have borne signatures of resi- 
dents of Number Five. Their names were Abraham Kim- 
ball, Joseph Putney, John Burbank, Caleb Burbank, Joseph 
Eastman, Daniel Annis. 

The following section of the narrative of the events of the 
troublous times now under consideration is from the pen 
of Alonzo J. Fogg, whose description is so graphic and full 
that we introduce it : 

On the morning of April 13, 1753, as Abraham Kimball was 
driving his father's cow from Putney's fort to Kimball's fort, about 
two miles distant, he was waylaid by two Indians and taken pris- 
oner near the foot of Putney's hill, on the east side. He was taken 
back some distance up the hill into the woods by the roadside, 
where there were several other Indians concealed. While waiting, 
they espied young Samuel Putney busily engaged in burning a pile 
of brush, near the house now standing on the farm owned by the 
heirs of Ignatius W. Fellows, of Hopkinton village. Here young 
Kimball had the experience of seeing two Indians creep stealthily 
along, keeping behind trees, stumps, and stones till they were near 
enough to spring upon the innocent boy and make him a prisoner, 
to keep young Kimball company (as they thought) to Canada. 
These Indians all lived in Canada, and were working in the inter- 



EARLY PERILS OF WAR. 33 

est of the French, who gave them so much money for every captive 
they could bring from the English settlements, and deliver to the 
authorities in Montreal or Quebec. Consequently, it was no object 
for them to kill their victims or burn their buildings, as it had been 
fifty years before, when they waged war to revenge the wrongs that 
they considered had been committed on them by the white settlers. 
In those days, age or sex was not spared by the tomahawk and 
scalping knife. 

After young Putney was secured, the two captives were taken 
about one mile north-east of Putney's fort, to what was called for 
many years the " Indian camp." This camp was situated near a 
large stone about thirty rods north of the tannery of Mr. Horace J. 
Chase, in the suburb of Hopkinton village, and on the road leading to 
Contoocook. The Indians stayed here till they were joined by another 
party, who had gone down to Rumford (now Concord) to make a 
reconnoitre of that settlement and quietly secure a few prisoners 
without disturbing the inhabitants in the main settlement, who 
might give them a warm reception if they were discovered in that 
vicinity. This party returned that evening without securing any 
captives, and with but little booty. The next morning the whole party 
started on their journey to Canada. They crossed the Contoocook 
river at Tyler's bridge, near Boscawen (now Webster), where they 
killed some cattle and selected the best part of the meat to carry 
with them. 

There were living at that time, on a hill west of Boscawen plains, 
two or three families by the name of Flanders. The men were 
noted through the whole county in those days as " Indian hunters," 
and were well known to the red-skins through that whole section to 
Canada, as they frequently accompanied the celebrated Rogers and 
his Rangers on their excursions through those wilds. The Indians 
had many times attempted to kill these men, but always found them 
on the alert and ready to receive them. This time, they thought 
they would again make the attempt to destroy their deadly foe. 
Through one of their scouts, they learned that the Flanders men 
had left their barricaded homes for the day. They thought this a ' 
fit opportunity to carry their plans into effect. Accordingly, the 
whole party secreted themselves behind a log fence in the corner of 
a field, and close by the path where the white men would come on 
their return home. Here they patiently waited for the return of 
their intended victims. Near night-fall, as the Flanders men were 
ascending the hill, their large Indian dogs showed unmistakable 
signs, by low growls and raised hair on their backs, that Indians 
were in the vicinity, and in the range of their path which led to 
their homes. Not knowing the number of the foes they had to con- 
tend with, they determined to make a bold charge up the lull, and 
dislodge their enemy, and reach their houses, where they were 
better provided for defence against attack. Accordingly, they 
3 



34 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ordered their dogs forward, and then gave a long, loud, unearthly- 
yell and rushed forward, firing their guns. The Indians, who 
intended to waylay their enemy, were surprised themselves, and 
imagined that they were discovered, and were attacked hy a large 
force from Rumford and Hopkinton, and fled from their hiding- 
place for life. At the first sound of approaching danger, the cap- 
tive hoys were as much frightened as the Indians, and ran nearly 
as fast ; hut they soon began to think they were running away from 
friends instead of enemies, and began to slacken their pace. The 
Indians were anxious to retain their captives, and tried to assist 
them along, but soon saw the ruse, as they did not try to hurry, 
and found that they must lose their prisoners or be taken them- 
selves. One, a chief of the party, being irritated by the conduct of 
the boys, raised his hatchet and was in the act of burying it in the 
head of young Putney, when one of the dogs came up and seized 
the Indian by the neck, throwing him to the ground and lacerating 
his throat terribly. After the close of the French war, it was made . 
known that this Indian died, from the effects of the wounds inflicted 
on him by the dog, before he reached Canada. 

This bold attack of the Flanders men liberated the two boys, and 
they returned home to their anxious parents the day after they 
were captured. Ezekiel Flanders, one of the party who assisted in 
liberating Kimball and Putney, was killed by the Indians in 1756, 
while on a hunting excursion to Newfound lake, near Bristol. 

The military records of colonial New Hampshire, during 
the period of the French, wars, contain the following Hop- 
kinton names, though, identification of the persons is. not 
sure : Joseph Eastman (probably of Concord), Stephen Hoyt, 
Matthew Stanley, Ebenezer Eastman, Joseph Putney, John 
Annis, Enoch Eastman, John Burbank, William Peters, 
Nathaniel Smith, Sampson Colby, Isaac Chandler, Thomas 
Merrill, Samuel Barrett, James Lock, John Nutt, John 
Jones, Thomas Eastman. 

During the existence of war, many of the residents of 
Number Five being absent from the township, some re- 
turned to Massachusetts and others appear to have resorted 
to contiguous New Hampshire towns, but the facts recov- 
erable are few. 



THE MASON CLAIM. 35 

CHAPTER XI. 

THE MASON CLAIM. 

The original royal patent of Laconia, granted in 1622 to 
Sir Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason, embraced all the 
line, of the Atlantic coast tying between the Merrimack and 
St. Lawrence rivers to the distance of many miles inland. 
Subsequently, Mason, who is conjectured to have severed 
business relations with Gorges, obtained a second patent of 
a considerable tract of territory lying between the Merri- 
mack and Piscataqua rivers, and which he called New 
Hampshire. Disaster ultimately fell upon Mason, who an- 
ticipated, as did also Gorges, the realization of great returns 
from the supposed supply of precious metals in New Hamp- 
shire soil. The pecuniary outlay involved in the efforts at 
colonization was not followed by the expected returns. 
Mason's American interests became ruined, and he died 
without attaining the object of his ambition. Neglect and 
conflagration soon destroyed the remnant of enterprise in 
the Mason plantation at Portsmouth, and at last nothing 
remained to the heirs of John Mason but the naked soil. 

In the year 1691, the Mason estate passed by purchase 
into the hands of Samuel Allen. The Mason title having 
become involved in dispute, a legal fiction of the convey- 
ance to Allen assumed the lands to be in England, that 
they might be under the control of the king's court. Sub- 
sequently, through the connivance of the colonial authori- 
ties of Massachusetts, John Tufton Mason, lineal descend- 
ant of John Mason, laid claim to his ancestor's estate, 
involving the fiction of law in the conveyance to Allen. 
The claim was successful. John Tufton Mason offered to 
relinquish his title to the assembly of New Hampshire for 
the consideration of one thousand pounds in New England 
currency. The proposition was not immediately accepted, 
and, after notifying the assembly of his determination to 
sell, Mason, in 1746, conveyed- his interest to twelve lead- 
ing men of Portsmouth for fifteen hundred pounds. The 
new proprietors were Theodore Atkinson, Mark Hunking 
Wentworth, Richard Wibird, John Wentworth, George 
Jaffrey, Samuel Moore, Nathaniel Meserve, Thomas Packer, 
Jotham Odiorne, Thomas Wallingford, Joshua Pierce, and 
John Moffat. These proprietors were liberal in disposition, 



36 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPEJNTON. 

and proceeded to grant townships on condition of industrial 
and social improvements and advantages, reserving usually 
fifteen rights for themselves. The original proprietors of 
township Number Five took measures to secure a second 
grant of their territory. The reservation of " one fifth," 
recorded in the legal instrument, has since passed into local 
possession. The following copy of the conveyance is taken 
from the proprietors' record of this township : 

At a meeting of the Proprietors of the Land purchased of John Tuf- 
ton Mason, Esq., in the province of New Hampshire, held at Ports- 
mouth, on Fryday, the thirtieth day of November, by adjournment, 
in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Fifty : — 

Voted that there be and hereby is granted in Equal Shares in fee 
simple unto Henry Mellen, Yeoman, Thomas Walker, Cooper, and 
Thomas Mellen, Cordwainer, all of Hopkinton, in the County of 
Middlesex, and the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, and unto 
such others as they shall admit their associates, so as to make up 
the Number Seventy in the whole (Preference being first given and 
offer made unto the original Claimers, in Virtue of the Grant made 
by the Massachusetts Government, or such as hold under Such 
Claimers, to be admitted associates if they will) upon the Reserva- 
tions, Conditions, Limitations, and Provisoes, hereafter mentioned, 
all the Right, Title, Interest, Claim, Property, Challenge, or de- 
mands whatsoever of the said proprietors, the Grantors of and 
unto all that Tract of Land in New Hampshire, Situate on the west- 
wardly Side of Merrimack River, called and known by the name of 
Number Five, in the line of towns, so called, as well as by the 
name of New Hopkinton. According to the bounds thereof hereto- 
fore run and made in pursuance of the Said Government's Grant ; 
Reserving unto the Said Proprietors, the Grantors, the one-fifth 
part thereof, the Same to lie and be set off from the other four- 
fifths, on the westerly part of Said Tract of Land, and to Extend 
across the Same from the Northerly to the Southerly Boundary 
Line thereof, the Said Reserved one-fifth part to be Exempted and 
exonerated from all Taxes and Charges until the Same shall be im- 
proved by the s'd Grantors, or Such as shall hold the Same under 
them. 

That there be one whole Share reserved within the other four- 
fifths in some convenient place- for the first Settled Minister there 
in fee simple, Provided he Shall continue Minister there during his 
life, or until regularly dismis'd. 

That there be one whole Share reserved within the Said four- 
fifths, for the use of the ministry there forever. 

That there be one whole Share reserved within the Said four- 
fifths, for the Use of a School there forever. 

That there be reserved at the place where the old Saw mill 



THE MASON CLAIM. 37 

stood, within said Tract of land, Thirty acres of Land (with so 
much of the Stream there as necessary), for a Saw Mill Privilege, to 
he laid out as Commodious as may he ; and that the Grantees and 
their Associates huild a Saw mill at said place, within two years 
from this time, at their own cost and Charge. 

That within three years there be thirty families there, each of 
them having a house there at least Sixteen foot Square, with a 
Seller under it, and five acres of Land Cleared and fitted for mow- 
ing or Tillage. 

That within seven years there he Sixty familys there, each of 
them having a house and Seller as afore mentioned, and five acres 
of Land Cleared and fitted as aforesaid. 

That within three years a meeting house be Built there, and Con- 
stant preaching therein at the Cost and Charge of the Grantees and 
their associates. 

That within seven years a minister be Settled there, at the Cost 
and Charge of the Grantees and their Associates. 

That all white Pine Trees that are or shall be growing on Said 
Tract of Land fit for His Majesty's use Shall be and hereby are re- 
served and Granted to His Majesty, his Heirs and Successors. 

That a Plan of the Said Tract of Land, Having ye Reserved 
fifth part thereof aforesaid Delineated, described and marked out 
thereon, be sent by the Grantees to the Grantors within the Space 
of Forty days from this Time, and also an Instrument in writing, 
Signed by the S'd Grantees, therein obliging themselves and their 
Associates to fulfill and Comply with the Conditions herein men- 
tioned, relating to the Settlement of the Said Tract of Land, Said 
Instrument to be prepared by the Grantors, and that this Grant 
shall be of no force or effect to the Grantees untill Such Instrument 
Shall be sent Sign'd as afforesaid. 

That in Case any of the Grantees or their Associates, their Heirs 
or assigns respectively, Shall neglect to do and pei'form what is 
herein required by them to be done and performed, it shall and 
may be Lawful to and for the Grantors, their Heirs and Assigns, to 
enter into and upon Such Delinquent's Share or Right, and to Dis- 
pose of the same as they shall see meet and proper, as tho' this 
Grant had not been made. 

That in case of an Indian war before the limitation of Time is 
expired for the dowing & performing the Respective matters and 
tilings herein mentioned to be done & performed, then the like num- 
ber of years to be Allowed for the dowing and performing the rest 
after the end of Such Indian war ; And whereas the Said Proprie- 
tors have already released all their Right in the Township of Bow 
(as they Claim under the said John Tufton Mason), unto the Pro- 
prietors of Bow, and it being Suggested that Bow may Take off 
some part of the Tract of Land called Number Five, alias New 
Hopkinton, as aforesaid, That the Said Grantors will make up to 



38 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the Said Grantees and Associates out of some other of the Grant- 
ors' ungranted lands and their Associates, out of the Tract of land 
what shall he Taken by Bow from the Said Tract of Land Called 
Number five, alias New Hopkinston, upon a Just admeasurement, 
& returning the lines of the said Bow according to the Grant there- 
of. 

And in case any action or Suit Shall he brought against the Said 
Grantees, their Associates or their assigns or any that Shall or may 
hold under them or any of theirs, for s'd Tract of land, or part 
thereof, They shall be and hereby are obliged to vouch in the s'd 
Grantors, their Heirs or Assigns, to Defend the Same, and the s'd 
Grantors hereby promise and engage that they, their Heirs and As- 
signs, Shall & will at their own Cost and Charge defend one action 
or Suit upon one Title and pursue the same to final Judgment, 
Through the whole Corse of the Law (if there Shall be occasion), 
and in case the final Judgment in Such Trial Shall be against the 
Said Grantors, the Grantees or owners Shall recover nothing over 
Satisfaction of and from the Grantors, their Heirs, Executors, ad- 
ministrators or Assigns. 

A Copy of Record, attest, 

Henry Mem/en, Prop'rs Cler. 

The following is a copy of an instrument certifying the 
actual settlement and occupation of the township Number 
Five under the privileges of the Mason grant : 

To The Honorable Lord Proprietors of John Tufton Mason, 
Esqr., Grant, so called, in New Hampshire : We Henry Mellens, 
Thomas Walker, and Thomas Mellens, Agreeable to the Charter 
Given us of a Township in the line of Towns Number five, or New 
Hopkinton, so called, Situate on the westerly Side of Merrimack 
River, in the province afore Said, have Admitted the Persons here- 
after Named as our Associates and have given the Preference and 
offer to the original Claimers. 

Rights. Rights. 

John Jones, Esqr. 
Joseph Haven, Esqr. 
Rev'r'd Samuel Haven 
John Haven 
Thomas Byxby 
Peter How 
Joseph Haven 
Timothy Townsend 
Elder Joseph Haven 
Simpson Jones, Esqr. 
Isaac Pratts 



2 


Jedidiah Haven 


1 


1 


Mark Whitney 


1 


1 


Nathaniel Gibbs 


1 


1 


Isaac Gibbs 


1 


1 


John Jones, Juner 


1 


1 


Benjamin Goddard 


1 


1 


Eleazer Howard 


1 


1 


John and James Nutt 


1 


1 


Daniel Mellen 


1 


1 


James Lock 


1 


1 


David Woodwell 


1 




7\ 





/ 



1 






^ 



i 
r 
a/ 



THE BOW CONTROVERSY. 39 



Nathaniel Chandler, Heirs 


1 


Matthew Stanley > 


1 


James Chaclwick, Heirs 


1 


Abraham Colby 


1 


Samuel Osgood 


1 


Sampson Colby 


2 


Daniel and John Annis 


2 


Isaac Chandler, Juner 


1 


Aaron Kimball 


1 


Abner Kimball, Heirs 


1 


John Chad'wick 


2 


John Burbank 


1 


Thomas Eastman 


1 


Caleb Burbank 


1 


Timothy Clement 


1 


Samuel Eastman 


1 


John Rust, Heirs 


1 


Peter How, Juner 


2 


William Peters 


1 


Enoch Eastman 


2 


Ebenezer Eastman 


1 


Stephen Hoyt 


1 


Jacob Straw 


1 


Isaac Whitney 


1 


Samuel Putney 


1 


Enoch and Ezra Hoyt 


1 


Joseph Putney 


1 


Deacon Henry Mellen 


3 


Jonathan Straw 


2 


Thomas Walker 


1 


Thomas Merrill 


1 


Thomas Mellen 


4 


Joseph Eastman 


1 


Isaac Chandler 


1 


Jacob Potter 


1 


Joseph Eastman, Juner 


1 


Nov'r, 1762. 









In testimony of what is written, we have hereunto subscribed our 
names. 

Henry Mellen, 
Thomas Walker, 
Thomas Mellen. 

Coppy examined p. Geo. Jaffret, Prop'rs CI. 
Coppy examined p. Enoch Eastman, Prop'rs Clerk. 

In the above list, the figure " 4," designating the rights 
of Thomas Mellen, is a doubtful one in the record. 

The next chapter explains the method by which a con- 
siderable portion of the reserved fifth part of the township, 
retained for the benefit of the Masonian proprietors, found 
a disposal. The whole of it ultimately came into the pos- 
session of actual occupants. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE BOW CONTROVERSY. 

As we have already shown, the proprietors of Number 
Five derived their title from the government of Massachu- 
setts. The claim of the authorities of Massachusetts to legal 
jurisdiction over the territory involved, arose, in part, from 



40 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the character of the original charter of the Massachusetts 
colony, in part from the dependent attitude in which the 
people of New Hampshire were, in their colonial weakness, 
willing to put themselves, and, in part, from the apparent 
hopelessness of the New Hampshire claims to any territory 
under the charter of John Mason. The township of Bow 
was granted to Jonathan Wiggin and others in 1727, by the 
government of New Hampshire. The conflict of interests 
between the two colonial establishments engendered numer- 
ous controversial troubles till 1741, when the boundary 
between Massachusetts and New Hampshire became perma- 
nently established. Local disputes, however, continued to 
involve the quiet of the communities for years afterwards. 
The Bow controversy involved the disquiet of the people 
of four several towns, — Bow, Concord, Pembroke, Hopkin- 
ton, as at present designated, — in consequence of the pri- 
mary conflict of interests above described, Concord and 
Pembroke being relatively in the same legal position as 
Hopkinton. Bow succeeded in maintaining its original title, 
but was obliged to yield over two thirds of its territory to 
the other-named towns. The boundaries were settled at 
different times from 1759 to 1765. The territorial claim 
made by Bow upon Hopkinton included a few square miles 
of land, triangular in form, and extending into the south- 
east corner in the form of a wedge, the apex of which was 
nearly in Hopkinton village. Number Five was repre- 
sented by several parties in the described controversy. On 
the 16th of October, 1760, Henry Mellen was chosen an 
agent in the adjustment of the Bow claim, with the ex- 
pressed privilege of choosing any one to assist him he 
thought proper. On the 7th of May of the following year, 
Dea. Henry Mellen, Adj. Thomas Mellen, and Timothy 
Clement were chosen a " committee to go down to the lord 
proprietors and the proprietors of Bow to see if the matter 
can be agreed upon." On the determination of the contro- 
versy between Bow and Number Five, in New Hopkinton, 
in the first instance, the proprietors of Bow maintained 
their claim, and the loss was made good to Number Five by 
the Masonian proprietors of the "reservation" in the west 
part of the township, the evidence of the culmination of the 
transaction being recorded under the date of January 5, 
1767, as follows : 

Voted that we have Excepted the Lands of the lord Proprietors 



THE BOW CONTROVERSY. 41 

which they voted to us acre for acre that was taken of by Bow being 
laid out on the Easterly Side of their fifth part of said Township. 

Though the township of Bow sustained its claim, the 
township of Number Five ceded no territory to Bow. The 
adjustment of the claim becoming a function of the General 
Court of New Hampshire, a committee of the court, acting 
in conjunction with a committee of Number Five, made an 
equalization out of the ungranted land of the Masonian pro- 
prietors. The following record of Number Five, for May 1, 
1765, assists the understanding of the reader: 

Voted that matthew Stanley Isaac Chandler and Jacob Straw be 
a Committee to Reacon with the Committee that was appointed by 
the General Cort to Seel Common Land in Hopkinton. 

The meeting passing this act was adjourned to the 3d of 
May, when the, following acts were passed : 

Voted to Confirm Timothy Clement Enoch Eastman and Jona- 
than Straw as a Proprietor's commitee to Seel a Part of the Pro- 
prietor's Common Lands in Hopkinton to Pay the Purches and 
Charges that we have been at with the Proprietors of Bow. 

Voted to Confairm and alow what said Commitee have Don or 
shall Do in that Capacity. 

Voted to Confirm what timmothy Clement Enoch Eastman and 
Jonathan Straw as our Commitee have Don or Shall Do agreable to 
the Cort act. 

The conditions outlined as the above acts are observed 
to be in fulfilment of a stipulation of the Masonian grant. 

The following persons were residents and property hold- 
ers upon the Bow claim in 1763, when, on the 13th of De- 
cember, an act was passed by the legislature of New Hamp- 
shire, joining them and their estates to the "District of 
New Hopkinton :" 

Abel Kimball, Timothy Kimball, Timothy Clements, Eliphalet 
Colby, Green French, John Chadwick, Abraham Kimball, Jeremiah 
Kimball, James Kimball, Moses Straw, Jonathan Straw, John East- 
man, William Peters, Hezekiah Foster, Jeremiah Kimball, Jr., 
Thomas Jewett, Reuben Kimball, Daniel Watson, Obadiah Perry, 
Joshua Bailey, John Kimball, John Jewett, Parker Flanders, Isaac 
Colby, Thomas Hoitt, Widow Susannah Kimball. 

In 1772, in consequence of the incorporation of the county 
of Hillsborough, of which Hopkinton was a part till 1823, 



42 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

it became necessary for the provincial authority of New 
Hampshire to enact that that part of Hopkinton formerly 
claimed by Bow should be disannexed from Rockingham, 
county, of which Bow was formerly a part, and annexed to 
the new county of Hillsborough, legalized in 1771. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE INCORPORATION OF HOPKINTON. 

The troublous times incident upon the conflict between 
the French and English, of which some details have been 
given, closed in consequence of the " Treaty of.Paris," made 
in 1763. Domestic peace and safety having been assured 
to the New England colonies, the condition of frontier town- 
ships rapidly improved. Number Five, in New Hampshire, 
so long distressed by dangers and fears, was speedily re- 
stored to social tranquillity. A prominent result of the 
restoration of local security was the incorporation of the 
township. The ultimate accomplishment of this object was 
implied in the earlier design of the proprietors. As early 
as October 27, 1757, a petition, asking for an act of incor- 
poration for this town, was addressed " To His Excellency 
Benning Wentworth, Esq., Captain General & Governor- 
in-Chief, in and over his Majesty's Province of New Hamp- 
shire, and to the Hon ble his Majesty's Council in the Prov- 
ince aforesaid." This petition was signed by the following 
persons : 

Samuel Pudney, Joseph Eastman, Aron Kimball, Joseph Budney, 
Enoch Eastman, John Budney, Daniel Anis, Caleb Burbank, Beter 
How, Joseph Or dway/ Matthew Stanley, Abraham Colbe, David 
Woodwell, Thomas Eastman, Joseph Eastman, Jr., John Chadwick, 
John Ordway, John Burbank, Jonathan How. 

The incorporation of Number Five was followed by most 
decided social benefits, securing more independent legal 
functions,, and consequent greater public confidence. Sta- 
bility and constancy at once became more marked in public 
transactions. The township opened a new volume of rec- 
ords, of which there has been no interruption since. In 
subsequent chapters of this work will be found incidental 



THE INCORPORATION OF HOPKINTON. 43 

evidences of the advantages derived from the local incor- 
porating charter, a copy of which follows : 

THE INCORPORATING CHARTER. 

Anno Regni Regis Georgii Tertii, Magnce Brittanicce Francice, 
et Hibemice, etc., Quinto. 

[L. S.] An Act to incorporate a Place called New Hopkinton, 
not within a Place herefore incorporated, together with that Part of 
the Township of Bow which covers a Part of the said New Hopkin- 
ton, into a Town, invested with the Powers and Privileges of a 
Town. 

"WHEREAS, The Inhabitants of New Hopkinton (so called), to- 
gether with the Inhabitants of that part of the Township of Bow 
which covers a part of said New Hopkinton, have petitioned the 
General Assembly, representing the difficulties which they are under 
for want of the Powers and Privileges of a Town, and therefore 
prayed that they might be joined, united and incorporated together 
into a Town, and be invested with the Powers and Privileges which 
other Towns in the Province enjoy, 

THEREFORE 

Be it enacted by the Governour, Council and Assembly, That 
that part of the Township of Bow which covers a part of New Hop- 
kinton be, and hereby is, separated from the rest of the said Town- 
ship of Bow, and is joined to and united with the said New Hopkin- 
ton, to all intents and purposes ; and that all the Land Contained 
within the Bounds and Limits hereafter mentioned, and all the Per- 
sons who do or sball inhabit the same, their Polls and Estates, be 
and hereby are, incorporated together into a Town, including all 
that part of the township of Bow which covers a part of New Hop- 
kinton, with the Polls and Estates, and are hereby invested and en- 
franchised with all the Powers and Privileges of any other Town in 
the Province, and shall be called Hopkinton. 

The Bounds and Limits, including what has been called New 
Hopkinton, and also that Part of the Township of Bow which covers 
a Part of said New Hopkinton, which now together is incorporated 
into a Town, as aforesaid, are as follows : 

Beginning at the south easterly Corner, at a Norway pine Tree, 
with Stones about it, spotted on four sides, and marked on the east- 
erly side with the Letter R, and on the westerly side with the Letter 
H. Then running west five Degrees South, Six Miles, to a Hem- 
lock tree with Stones about it, spotted on four sides, and marked on 
the easterly side with the Letter H, and with the Figure 5 ; and on 
the westerly side with the Figure 6. Then running north fourteen 
Degrees west, six miles, to a White Oak tree, with Stones about it, 



44 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Spotted on four Sides, & marked with the Figure 6 on the westerly- 
Side, and with the numeral Letter V on the easterly Side. Then 
running east five Degrees north, three Miles, to a Stake in a Boggy 
Medow, spotted on four Sides, and Stones about it. Then running 
north fourteen Degrees west, about 130 rods, to a River on which 
Almsbury Men formerly built a Saw Mill, to a heap of Stones in the 
middle of the said River, a little below the said Saw Mill, where it 
joins to the southwest Corner of Contoocook (now Boscawen). 
Then running east fourteen Degrees north, by a Part of said Con- 
toocook (or Boscawen), three miles, to a Stake & Stones, the Stake 
spotted on four Sides, where it also joins to the northwesterly Cor- 
ner of Rumford (so called). Then running South fourteen Degrees 
east, by said Rumford, about six miles and three-quarters, to the 
first mentioned Bound. 

And for the more effectual Management of the Affairs of the 
said Town of Hopkinton, the Inhabitants thereof who are duly 
qualified to vote in Town Meetings shall meet together annually on 
the first Monday in the month of March, and chuse such Officers as 
the Law requires to be chosen in Towns ; And the said Officers, 
when chosen legally, & sworn to the faithful Discharge of their 
respective Offices, as the Law directs, shall have the same Power to 
execute their respective Offices as such Officers have in other Towns 
in the Province, and shall be subject to the same Penalties, Pains 
& Forfeitures for refusing to serve when legally chosen, or Unfaith- 
fulness in the Execution of their respective Offices, as the Law 
enjoins and inflicts in such Cases. 

And whereas the Inhabitants of said Town are in Arrears of 
their Taxes, both to the Province and also towards the Support of 
the Gospel among them, which they have never yet had Power to 
assess and collect. 

Be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Offi- 
cers who shall be chosen in said Town, to assess & to collect neces- 
sary Taxes there, shall be impowered to exert and execute their 
respective Offices about any Arrears of former Taxes, as well as 
about future Taxes, till such Arrears shall be fully discharged. 

And whereas the Inhabitants of said Town of Hopkinton are in 
Arrears of the Province Tax for the Years 1762, 1763, & 1764, 
which they had not Power to assess & collect in the time when the 
same ought to have been done, and now it would be too heavy a 
Burden upon them, if required to be all paid in one Year, or in 
two years, beside the proper Tax for those years — 

Be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Arrear Tax 
for the Province for the year 1762 shall be joined with the proper 
Tax for the year 1765 ; And that for the year 1763, with the proper 
Tax for the year 1766 ; And that for the year 1764, with the 
proper Tax for the year 1767 ; to be then paid respectively : And 
that the Province Treasurer shall issue his Warrants according. 




o 
o 

E-« 

CO 
PU 

<! 

m 
w 



FIRST ANNUAL TOWN-MEETING. 45 

And that the Inhabitants of the said Town of Hopkinton may be 
enabled to execute the Powers and to enjoy the Privileges, which 
by their Incorporation they are invested with, Capt. Matthew Stan- 
ley, Lieut. John Putney, and Ens. Jonathan Straw, or any two of 
them, are hereby authorized to call the first meeting of the Inhab- 
itants of the said town. 

Provided, Nevertheless, That those Persons who settled in said 
New Hopkinton in the year past, and those that shall hereafter 
settle there, upon Bow Claim, shall be exempted from paying any 
part of the past Arrears of the Province Tax. 



Province of ) In * he House ? f 
New Hampshire, \ *£*£$& 



January 10, 1765. 
This Bill having been read three Times, 
Voted, That it pass to be enacted. 

H. Sherburn, Speaker. 

Province of ) In Council, 
New Hampshire. ) Jan'y 11, 1765. 

The within Bill read a third Time and passed to be enacted. 

T. Atkinson, Jun'r, Sec'ry. 

Consented to, B. Wentworth. 
Vera Copia, Attfr. 

T. Atkinson, Jun'r, Sec'ry. 
A true Copy. Exam'd p. 

Enoch Eastman, Town Clerk. 

In the next chapter, we embody the call and minutes of 
the first general municipal act of the town of Hopkinton 
under the provisions of the act of incorporation. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

FIEST ANNUAL TOWN-MEETING IN HOPKINTON. 

[A copy of the record.] 

The Warrant, or Notification for the first Town Meeting in Hop- 
kinton (being an annual Meeting). 

Province of ) 
New Hampshire ) 

Notice is hereby given to the Inhabitants of Hopkinton, who are 
duly qualified to vote in Town Meetings, that they assemble them- 



46 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTOIST. 

selves together, at the House of Lieut. John Putney in this Town, 
on the first Monday of the Month of March next after the Date 
hereof, being the fourth Day of said Month, at ten of the Clock in 
the forenoon, Then & there to consider & vote upon the following 
Articles — viz. : 

1. To chuse a moderator to regulate the Affairs of said Meeting. 

2. To see whether they will accept of their Incorporation. 

3. To chuse Town Officers such as the Law requires to be chosen 
in incorporated Towns in the Province : namely, a Clerk, Select 
Men, Assessors, Constable, or Constables, Tything Men, Surveyors 
of Highways, Fence viewers, Sealer of Weights and Measures, Ha 
wards, or Hog Constables, and a Committee to examine the Select 
Mens Accounts, Lot layers, and Overseers of Deer. 

4. To pass a Vote to confirm the Revd. Mr. James Scales in the 
Gospel Ministry here, to be the Gospel Minister of this Town ; or 
else to pass a Vote to reject him from being the Gospel Minister of 
this Town, 

5. If a Vote be passed to confirm said Minister to be the Minis- 
ter of this Town, Then to vote such yearly Salary as shall be 
thought necessary and proper for the Honour & Credit of the Peo- 
ple, and for his Support & Encouragement in the Gospel Ministry ; 
and how & when it shall be paid. And to see whether he will 
accept it. 

6. To see if they will pass a Vote to raise the Arrears of said 
Minister's Salary, for his past Service in the Ministry by a Tax 
upon the Inhabitants of the Town ; and how. And whether they 
will allow Interest for it since it was due, and till paid, as he has 
been obliged to pay for want of it. And whether they will allow 
two Years of said Salary to be made up at seven pounds per Dollar, 
as Dollars went then, and as he was obliged to give for Dollars 
then for want of said Salary. 

7. To see if they will raise Money by a Tax upon the Inhabitants 
to Defray the Charge of procuring the Incorporation of this Town : 
And to pay the Interest of what Money has been hired for that 
Use, till it is paid. 

8. To see whether they will allow the Revd. Mr. Scales anything 
for his Time & Trouble to procure the Incorporation of this Town. 
And if anything, then what, how : and when to be paid. 

9. To see if they will raise the Arrears of the Province Tax upon 
the Inhabitants, according to the time they have lived in what is 
now Hopkinton, and what rateable Polls and Estates they have had 
during that Time. 

10. To see if they can agree upon, and determine by Vote, a 
Place to set an House for the publick Worship of God in this 
Town. 

11. To see if they will pass a Vote to build an House for the 
publick Worship of God in the Town ; Of what Dimensions ; and 



FIRST ANNUAL TOWN-MEETING. 47 

when. And to chuse a Committee for the same ; and to raise 
Money to defray the Charges thereof. 

12. To see if they will pass a Vote to have a School kept for the 
Instruction of their Children ; any part of the ensuing Year ; And 
if any, what time of the Year — How long — And where — And to 
raise Money for it. 

13. To see if they will chuse a Committee, or impower the Select 
Men to procure the Southerly side Line of this Town run, as it 
ought to he : To take Care of the several Bounds of the Town ; And 
to join with the Select Men, or Committee of Boscawen in peram- 
bulating the Line, and Settling the Bounds between Them & us. 

14. To see if they will raise Money to procure a Book for Town 
Records, And another Book for the Records of Births, Burials, &c. 

15. To see if they will build a Pound for unruly Creatures, the 
year ensuing ; To determine where it shall be set ; and to chuse a 
Pound keeper. 

16. To see if they will pass a Vote to do work upon the School 
Lot which was first laid out, to make it profitable for the Town 
towards maintaining a School ; How much work in the ensuing 
year ; and when. 

( Matthew Stanley 
By Order of ■< John Putney 

/ Jonathan Straw 



A Committee 

to call the first 

Meeting in 

Hopkinton. 



Dated at Hopkinton, 

in the Province aforesaid, 

February 15, 1765 

A true Copy — Examd — p. Enoch Eastman, Town Clerk. 



At a Meeting of the Inhabitants of Hopkinton in the Province of 
New Hampshire, legally called, & held at said Hopkinton, pursuant 
to the Act of Incorporation, on the first Monday of March, A. D., 
1765, and pursuant to the foregoing Warrant, or Notification, at 
the House of Lieut. John Putney. 

1. Voted, That Capt. Matthew Stanley be the Moderator, to reg- 
ulate the Affairs of this Meeting. 

2. Voted, To accept of the Incorporation of the Town, lately pro- 
cured. 

3. Voted, That Mr. Enoch Eastman be Town Clerk. 

4. Voted, That Capt. Matthew Stanley be the first Select Man ; 
Ens. Jonathan Straw the second; Serg. Isaac Chandler the third 
Select Man. 

5. Voted, That the Select Men be Assessors. 

6. Voted, That there be' but one Constable chosen in this Town 
for this Year ensuing. 



48 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

7. Voted, That Mr. Peter How be Constable for this Town, for 
the Year ensuing. 

8. Voted, That Mr. William Eastman be a Tything Man; Mr. 
Joseph Putney another Tything Man for this Town, the year 
ensuing. 

9. Voted, That Mr. Hezekiah Foster be one Surveyor of High 
"Ways ; Mr. John Jewett another ; Mr. Jotham How another ; Mr. 
Mark Jewett another ; Mr. Joseph Eastman another ; Lieut. John 
Putney another ; Capt. Matthew Stanley the other. 

10. Voted, That Mr. Nathaniel Clement, & Mr. Timothy Far- 
num be Fence viewers. 

11. Voted, That Mr. John Blasdel be Sealer of Weights and 
Measures. 

12. Voted, That Mr. Joshua Bailey, & Mr. Thomas Eastman be 
Hawards, or Hog Constables. 

13. Voted, That Mr. Joshua Bailey, Mr. Jacob Straw, and Lieut. 
John Putney be a Committee to examine the Select Men's Accounts. 

14. Voted, That Mr. Moses Hills, Mr. Peter How, and Mr. 
Enoch Eastman be Lot Layers. 

15. Voted, That Mr. Moses Hills, & Mr. Joseph Putney be Over- 
seers of Deer. 

16. Voted, That the Revd. Mr. James Scales be the Gospel Minis- 
ter of this Town. 

17. Voted, That the yearly Salary of the Revd. Mr. Scales for 
his Service in the Gospel Ministry be Thirteen Pounds & ten shil- 
lings sterling, in Money for the three years next coming ; and then 
Eighteen Pounds in like Money yearly, so long as he shall be able 
to carry on the Work of the Ministry. And also to be found for 
him, yearly, at his House, twenty five Cords of Wood. For the first 
year to be compleated by the first of next March ; in Consideration 
of his preaching Lectures, as he has in Time past, preparatory to 
administering the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 

I accept the above Votes which relate to me ; as witness 
my Hand — 

James Scales. 

18. Voted, That the Arrears of Mr. Scales Salary shall be raised 
by a tax upon the Inhabitants of what is now Hopkinton, their 
Polls & Estates, according to the Time that each has lived therein, 
and what ratable Polls & Estates they have had during that Time. 

19. Voted, That two shillings & six pence p. Pound Interest be 
allowed for said Arrears. 

20. Voted, That two years of the Revd. Mr. Scale's last Salary 
shall be made up at Seven Pounds p. Dollar. 

Then the Meeting adjourned till to morrow at Ten of the Clock 
in the forenoon ; to be held then at this House. 



FIRST ANNUAL TOWN-MEETING. 49 

At a Meeting of the Inhabitants of Hopkinton, held by Adjourn- 
ment, at the House of Lieut. John Putney, in said Hopkinton, on 
the fifth Day of March, 1765. 

1. Voted, That Money to defray the Charges of procuring the 
Incorporation of this Town, and the Interest of what Money has 
been hired for that use, till paid, be raised by a Tax upon the 
Inhabitants of the Town, their Polls & Estates. 

2. Voted, Not to allow the Revd. Mr. Scales any Tiling for his 
Time & Trouble in procuring the Incorporation of this Town. 

3. Voted, That the Arrears of the Province Tax be raised upon 
the Inhabitants of what is now Hopkinton, their Polls & Estates, 
according to the Time they have lived in said Place, & what ratable 
Polls & Estates they have had during that time. 

4. Voted, That the Place for an House for the publick Worship 
of God be the Top of the Hill, about six Rods northerly from the 
Burying Place. 

5. Voted, to build an House for the publick Worship of God, in 
this Town. 

6. Voted, That the said House be Fifty feet long ; Thirty eight 
broad ; & Twenty two feet Stud. 

7. Voted, That the said House shall be framed, & raised, by the 
Beginning of September, A. D. 1766. 

8. Voted, That Capt. Matthew Stanley, Lieut. John Putney, and 
Ens. Jonathan Straw be a Committee to prosecute the Building of 
the said House. 

9. Voted, That two Thousand & five hundred Pounds, old tenor, 
be raised to defray the Charges of Building said House. 

10. Voted, That there be a School kept some part of the ensuing 
Year, for the Instruction of Children & Youth. 

11. Voted, That there be a School kept two Months in the Year 
ensuing. 

12. Voted, That the said School be kept in the Months of Jan- 
uary and February next. 

13. Voted, That it be left to the Discretion of the Select Men 
where said School shall be kept, during said two Months. 

14. Voted, That ninety Pounds old tenor be raised to pay for 
keeping said School. 

15. Voted, that the Lot Layers be a Committee to inspect the 
Bounds and Lines of this Town ; and to perambulate the Line, & 
settle the Bound between Boscawen & this Town. 

16. Voted, That thirty pounds old tenor be raised to procure a 
Book for Town Records ; and a Book for the Record of Births, 
Deaths, &c. 

17. Voted, That there be no Pound built in the Town this Year. 

18. Voted, Not to do any Work on the School Lot this year. 

19. Voted, To reconsider, & annul the second Vote passed this 
Day ; which was, Not to allow the Revd. Mr. Scales any thing for 

4 



50 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

his Time, & Trouble in procuring the Incorporation of this Town — 
And then 

20. Voted, To allow him twenty five Pounds, old tenor, therefor. 
A true Copy — Exmd — p — Enoch Eastman, Town Clerk. 



CHAPTER XV. 

SUNDRY EVENTS BETWEEN 1765 AND 1776. 

In observing the progress of events in the new town- 
ship that was made Hopkinton in 1765, one cannot fail to 
notice the prominence given to matters relating to the 
church. The public interest in ecclesiastical affairs was 
subsequently continued. The meeting-house was erected. 
The site, however, was not on the hill. An unexpected 
concourse of events had turned the attention of people to 
the plain, where now is the village of Hopkinton. Here 
the meeting-house was built, near the site of the present 
Congregational church. 

At a town-meeting held at Lieutenant Putney's house, 
on the 3d of February, 1766, the vote of the previous annual 
meeting, relating to the location of the meeting-house, 
was rescinded, and the following act was passed: 

Voted that the place for Building A meeting House on is north- 
ardly of Ezra Hoyt's House on Said Hoyt's lands by the Road that 
go to the saw mill within Twenty Hods of the Road that that 
go to Concord. 

The above act was confirmed on the following 21st of 
March as follows : 

Voted to By half acre of Land of Mr. Ezra Hoyt for the Privi- 
lege of Seting meeting House. 

Voted to Build the meeting Hous on the Land of Mr. Ezra 
Hoyts where the Committee Plast it. 

At the same meeting and date it was 

Voted that the Hous where this Town has met for the Publick 
worship of God Be fixt to meet in till the Meeting Hous Be fixt 
and that the Committee that is to Buld the New Meeting Hous Be 
the Committee to fix Sad Hous N B Capt Matthew Standley Lieu 
John Putney Ens Jonathan Straw. 



SUNDRY EVENTS BETWEEN 1765 AND 1776. 51 

On the 16th of March, 1767, the following vote was 
passed, suggesting the progress that had probably been 
made in constructing the new edifice : 

Voted that mr John Blasdell be the man to takeer of the Meet- 
ing Hous to Sweep it and take Kare of the Dors and Lock. 

The principal dimensions of the new meeting-house were 
determined at the first annual meeting of the town of Hop- 
kinton. The vote then passed expresses about all we know 
of the exterior description of the edifice. An act passed 
on the 8th of July, 1767, was as follows : 

Voted that the upor wandows in the Meeting House be Six Deep 
and the Lower wons be Seven Deep Squares Deep. 

It appears that pews were sold from time to time, and 
the proceeds devoted to the completion of the edifice, which 
appears to have been of the same style as the representative 
New England meeting-house of its time. The supply of 
its furniture was a matter of much apparent discussion and 
hesitation. The town repeatedly refused to purchase a 
cushion, which may have been bought in 1768, and dis- 
claimed an intention to provide a " Crissening Bason." On 
the 23d of March, 1774, it was 

Voted to Build a Pulpit and finis the Galorye So far as to Law 
out what money the Pews will fetch. 

The following votes, passed on the 19th of September, 
1774, are significant : 

a Vote to See if the Town would Reserve the ground meant for 
Singing Pews for the use of the Town and the Vote Past to Negi- 
tive. 

Voted to Sell the ground meant for Singing Pews. 

The Rev. James Scales served the Hopkinton church as 
pastor till the 25th of June, 1770, when he was voted a 
dismissal. The town also voted to invite the churches of 
Concord, Pembroke, and Henniker to attend the dismissing 
council, for which the letters were to be sent, and at which 
a dinner should be provided at the public cost. The Rev. 
Mr. Scales accepted the terms of the dismissal as fol- 
lows : 

I the Subscriber concent to be Dismissed from my Pastoral Rela- 
tions to the Church & People of Hopkinton Province of new Hamp- 



52 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

shire upon the tarms above mentioned in the above Vots as witness 
my Hand this 25 Day of June 1770 James Scales- 
Oil the 25th of January, 1771, Joseph Woodman was 
called to the pastorate of Hopkinton, but it appears he 
declined the call. On the 22d of the next July, Jonathan 
Searls was called, but the result was the same as in the 
former instance. The same may be said of Eden Bur- 
roughs, who was called on the 9th of the following Decem- 
ber. The following action seems to have been successful : 

Voted to to give mr. Elijah Fletcher a Call to Settle in the gos- 
pell Ministra in this Town. 

Voted to give m fletcher Ninety Pounds Lawfull money Settle- 
ment. 

Voted to give mr. Fletcher the Privilege of the Pasnage as it 
now is During his ministra in this Town. 

Voted to give mr Fletcher fifty Pounds Lawfull money for his 
Salary the first year then Rising five Pounds a year tiU it comes to 
Seventy and thean to Stand for his yearly Salary. 

Voted to give mr Fletcher twenty five Cords of wood yearly. 

Voted that Lieut Straw mr Benjamin Jewett Capt Stanlay Lieut 
Chandler Eins Eastman and Capt Putney be a Committ to treet 
with mr Fletcher to See if he will Except of the above Call. 

The subject of the popular education of children and 
youth was one of intelligent concern to the early residents 
of Hopkinton. During the period under consideration, 
considerable progress was made in the work of providing 
public schools, but the history of it is very obscure. The 
following action of the town throws important light upon 
the matter. 

March 3, 1766: 

Voted That nine pounds Lawfull money be Raised for a Town 
School the year ensuing. 

Voted That the School be kept in two parts of the Town. 

Voted that the Select men Shall Divide the School and money. 

March 7, 1768 : 

Voted that Shugar Hill people Shall have their part of the money 
that was Raised for the School this year. 

Voted that Beah Hill men Shall not have their part of the money 
that was Raised for a school. 

March 12, 1768 : 

Voted not to Build any School House. 

Voted to Reconsider the last Vote that was passed. 



SUNDKY EVENTS BETWEEN 1765 AND 1776. 53 

Yoted to Build two School housen. 

Voted to Build a School house near Esqr. Townsend's. 

Voted to Build a School house in the Senter hetwext Mr. Jotham 
Hows and Mr Moses Goulds. 

Voted to Build the School housen Twenty two feet long and 
Eighteen wide and Seven feet and a half stud. 

Voted that the School Housen Shall be Built by the first Day of 
October next fit for to Keepin School in. 

Voted that Ensn Jonathan Straw be the man to See that the 
School house be Built by the time Voted at the lower End of the 
Town. 

Voted that Mr. Joseph Putney be the man to See that the School 
house be Built by the time Voted at the upper End of the Town. 

Voted that the Select men Shall Expend some part of the money 
that was Raised at our last annual meeting for the School in the 
Summer Season. 

Voted one half of Said Money Shall be Expended in the Summer 
Season. 

Voted that one half of Said money shall be laid out by Hireing a 
School mistres or mistress 

Voted Seventy Dollars for Building two School Housen in Said 
Town the Biger part of Said money to be paid in Labour. 

The amount of money raised at the annual meeting of 
1768 was the same as that of 1766. The whole subject of 
school-houses is thrown into obscurity by a vote on the 26th 
of March, 1768, to reconsider that of the 12th, " to Build 
two School Housens on the Towns Cost." Money con- 
tinued to be raised for schools, but it appears that no school- 
house was built before 1776. 

We have already observed the evidence of enterprise in 
the establishing of early highways, but it appears no mate- 
rial progress, if any, in constructing bridges was made 
during the present period. The following act of the 28th 
of May, 1766, is of interest : 

Voted to Buld a Boat at Contwock river as Big as Deacon 
Mirils fary Boat is at Concord. 

Voted to buld the Boate By the first of July in Suing the Date. 

Voted that Sd Boate Shall be cept whare thay now pass over Con- 
twocook River from hopkinton to New armstry. 

Voted that mr Enoch Eastman Capt Matthew Standlay Be the 
Commity to buld the Boat and take kear of it till our next annual 
meting. 

This ferry-boat was apparently built, and Enoch East- 
man became ferryman. There is a tradition that the first 



54 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ferry in Hopkinton was located below the present village 
of Contoocook, at the point where the road now leading 
from a point near the house of George W. Holmes, across 
the railroad and to the interval, once terminated at the 
river-bank. The house of Mr. Holmes is on the Tyler's 
bridge road, that runs somewhat parallel with the river on 
the south side, and is about a half mile from Contoocook. 

On the 29th of December, 1772, a vote was passed to 
build a ferry " over Contoocook river," and Captain Put- 
ney, Lieutenant Chandler, and Lieutenant Straw were 
made a committee to effect the purpose. This seems to 
have been a second ferry, below Contoocook village, at a 
point near the spot where Tyler's bridge is now located. 
This ferry was, for a longer or shorter time, managed by 
Thomas Bickford. On March 1, 1773, the following acts 
in relation to this ferry were passed : 

Voted to give mr Thomas Bigford the ferra and the old Boat as 
it is now with his Coming under Bonds to free the Town from all 
Charges Relating the feary and his Building and Keeping a Boate 
Sufficiant to Drive in a Cart with one yoake of oxen and a Load for 
Six During his Life. 

Voted that the Select men Should Be a Commette to take Secur- 
ity of Thomas Bigford for the fara that he Cleare the Town. 

The location of the old Bickford ferry is now recogniz- 
able, the place being a few rods up the river from Tyler's 
bridge, where vestiges of the ancient appointments re- 
gain. 

It appears that, during the present period, the town had 
various intentions in regard to a bridge over the Contoo- 
cook river. On March 2, 1772, Joseph Eastman was made 
a committee of the town to " look out a place " for a bridge, 
and entertain contributions, but, on March 6, 1775, it was 
voted " not to appoint any place " for one. 

Previously to the incorporation of the town, the people, 
apparently by general consent, had begun to bury their 
dead in two places, — one on Putney's hill and the other on 
the plain. John Putney, John Blaisdell, and Mark Jewett 
were interested in the ownership of these burial places. 
On the 21st of March, 1766, the town voted to buy the two 
lots, described as containing a half acre each. In conse- 
quence of this act, so far as the vote to buy the lot on the 
hill applied, the following gratuity was recorded : 



SUNDRY EVENTS BETWEEN 1765 AND 1776. 55 

the half acre of Land which is Voted to Be procurd for a Bury- 
ing Plac on the top of the Hill I give and Be Stow on the Town 
John Putney. 

In consequence of the vote to buy the lot on the plain, 
the following is recorded : 

A quarter of a nacor of Land for a Burying Plas which was 
Voted to Be Procurd on my Land I give and Be Stow on the Town 
John Blaisdell. 

It appears that John Blaisdell and Mark Jewett were 
equally interested in the burial lot of half an acre of land 
on the plain. It was anticipated, apparently, that Mr. 
Jewett would be as gratuitous as Mr. Blaisdell. The town- 
clerk accordingly left a blank space in the records for 
inscribing the gratuity. The space is blank to this day. 
This fact were insignificant, had it not been that an appar- 
ent public feeling was aroused by it. On the 26th of March, 
1768, it was 

Voted Not to Buy a Quarter of an acre of Land of mr Mark 
Jewett for a Burying yard. 

There were other acts of the same date as follows : 

Voted to fence the Burying yards. 

Voted to fence the upper Burying yard with a Stone wall. 

Voted that mr John Blaisdiell be free from Buying or fencing 
any part of the Burying Yards and Said Blesdill Shall have the 
Privilege of feeding the Lower Yard with Sheep or Calves. 

Voted to fence the Lower Burying yard with a good five Raill 
fence. 

In the year 1773, a matter arose that interested Hopkin- 
ton in connection with other towns in this part of the then 
province of New Hampshire. In considering the subject, 
it is necessary to remember that the county of Hillsborough 
was incorporated in 1771, Hopkinton being a town of the 
new jurisdiction. The action of Hopkinton is best ex- 
pressed in the unique terms of the clerk. In the call for a 
meeting, on the 7th day of August, 1773, the following 
article occurred: 

to See if the Town will Chuse a Committe to Send to Amherst 
to Jine other Committees in this County to with Stand the Vote 
Passed in the Sessions to Pay 83 Pounds for Capt Killeys Breaking 
out of the goal in this County and Likewise farther application is 



56 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTOK. 

made for other money to the Value of 400 Pounds Lawfull money 
in the whole. 

At the above meeting it was 

Voted that mr Stephen Harriman Dea Matthew Standlay and 
Mr Christopher Gould Be a Committe to go to Amhauste. 

On the 28th of the next October the following act was 
passed and recorded : 

Voted mr Stephen Herriman he and hereby is appointed agent 
for the Said Town of Hopkinton to draw up Signe & prepare a 
Petion to the general Court to obtain a Repeal or Suspension of the 
order and Determination of the Court of the general Sessions of the 
Peac held at Amherst within and for the County Hillsbo on the 8 
of June 1773 by Adjournment from the first thirsday next follow- 
ing the first Tusday in Aprl 1773 wheare By thay Vote the Sum of 
£78 — 3 — 2 to be assured & payd to John Holland for and on 
account of the Escape of Joseph Killay and that the inhabitants 
may not be Compeld to assess & Pay the Said Sum untill a 
Rehearing of the Action brought By Said Holland against Said 
Kellay may be obtained & he is heareby impowered to tak any other 
Step representing any greivances in behalf of the Town that he may 
think Proper either by him Self or Such other Persons as he may 
think fit to Substitute. 

The foregoing action relates to Joseph Kelly, of Notting- 
ham, who, in July, 1772, in behalf of John Holland com- 
plainant, was defaulted at court and committed to jail for 
bail. Kelly subsequently escaped, and Holland was granted 
<£75 and cost by the sessions. A petition of towns to the 
general court of the province, for the revocation of the 
order, and alleging negligence on the part of the custodian 
of the jail, was dismissed in the house of representatives, 
January 21, 1774. 

On March 2, 1767, the town voted to build a pound, 
back of the meeting-house, and to buy a burying cloth ; on 
the 16th of the same month, to build the pound thirty feet 
square and eight feet high, and to procure a plan of the 
town, and that Ezra Hoyt be pound-keeper ; on March 7, 
1768, that John Blaisdell be the clerk of the market ; on 
the 12th of the same month, not to accept of the pound ; 
on the 25th of October, when the provincial law required 
a grammar school, that if the town was complained of for 
not keeping one, it would pay the fine ; on March 1, 1773, 
that hogs might run at large, " if yoaked and Ringed." 



THE REVOLUTION. 57 

The period under consideration demands a notice of the 
condition of public politics, especially in anticipation of the 
events of the Revolution. The public importance of Hop- 
kinton in 1773 demanded representation at the general 
court. On the 28th of October of that year, Capt. John 
Putney was chosen a committee to petition the governor 
for the right to send a representative. However, there was 
soon a representation of another kind. 

At a town-meeting, held on the 18th of July, 1774, Capt. 
Jonathan Straw was chosen delegate to the convention 
called at Exeter on the 21st of the same month, to succeed 
the assembly dispersed by Governor John Wentworth. 
This convention chose Nathaniel Folsom and John Sullivan 
delegates to the provincial congress at Philadelphia. On 
the 9th of January, 1775, Joshua Bayley was chosen dele- 
gate from Hopkinton to a second convention at Exeter, to 
appoint delegates to a second congress, to be held on the 
10th of May. John Sullivan and John Langdon were 
chosen delegates to this congress. On the day that Joshua 
Bayley was chosen a delegate to the Exeter convention, 
the town of Hopkinton voted " to accept what the Grand 
Congress has resolved." On the 11th of December, 1775, 
Capt. Stephen Harriman was chosen a representative to 
Exeter for one year, the selection being in anticipation of 
the convocation, of the 21st of the same month, designed 
for the elaboration of a plan of local civil government. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE REVOLUTION. 

The year 1776, being the date of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, is properly regarded as the inceptive year of the 
Revolution. However, the reader of general history knows 
that the civil and military events that ushered in the Revo- 
lution were anterior to 1776. The blood of the American 
colonies was both stirred and spilled before the year men- 
tioned. The momentous nature of events had previously 
demanded an inventory of the materials of war. 

In 1775, in compliance with the demands of the Colonial 
authority, an enumeration of people and of war material 



58 LIFE A^D TIMES IN HOPKINTCXJST. 

was taken in this town. The following is the official 
return : 

Males under 16 years of Age, 332 

Males from 16 years of Age to 50 not in the Army, 160 

Males above 50 years of Age, 30 

Persons gone in the army, 42 

All females, 519 

Negroes and slaves for Life, 2 



1085 



Guns that are wanting are fifty-six. 
Powder six pounds in town. 



The above account taken by us the subscribers is true errors 
excepted. 

Jonathan Straw, > Selectmen 
Isaac Chandler. ) for Hopkinton. 

On the 14th of March, 1776, the Colonial Congress 
passed a resolution recommending the disarmament of per- 
sons disaffected toward the American cause. The pur- 
pose of this act was regarded by the Committee of Safety 
of New Hampshire, so far at least as the following order 
implies : 

Colony of New Hampshire, 
In Committee of Safety, 

April 12th, 1776. 

In order to carry the underwritten Resolve of the Hon'ble Con- 
tinental Congress into Execution, you are requested to desire all 
Males above Twenty one years of age (Lunaticks, Idiots, & and 
Negroes excepted) to sign to the DECLARATION on this Paper : 
& when so done, to make Return thereof, together with the Name 
or Names of all who Shall refuse to sign the same, to the GEN- 
ERAL ASSEMBLY or Committee of Safety of this Colony. 

M. Weare, 

Chairman. 

In Congress, March 14, 1776. 
Resolved, That it be recommended to the Several Assemblys, 
Conventions, & Councils, or Committees of Safety of the United 
Colonies immediately to cause all Persons to be disarmed, within 
their Respective Colonies, who are notoriously disaffected to the 
cause of America, or who have not associated, & refuse to associate, 
to defend by Arms, the United Colonies against the Hostile attempts 
of the British Fleets & Armies. 

(Copy) Extract from the Minutes, 

Charles Thompson, Sec'y. 



THE REVOLUTION. 5£ 

The selectmen of Hopkinton returned the following sig- 
natures to the declaration of fidelity to the American cause : 

Signers in Hopkinton. 

Richard Carr Rogers, Abner Gorden, Joseph Putney, Peter How, 
Joshua Bailey, Jotham How, Oliver Dow, Moses Kimball, Benj. B. 
Darling, Aaron Kimball, Elijah Fletcher, Stephen Harriman, Jon- 
athan Straw, James Scales, Anthony Colby, Sargent Currier, John 
(X) Chadwick, Enoch Eastman, Joseph Eastman, John Putney, 
William Darling, Gideon Gould, Ebenezer Collins, James Smith, 
Jonathan Starit, Wm. Stanley, Abner Colby, Daniel Stickney, Sam- 
uel Kimball, Adonijah Tyler, Ezekiel Hadley, Abraham Rowell, 
John Clement, Daniel Murray, Josephs Stanley, John Blaisdell K 
Elijah Durgin, Benjamin Eastman, John Jewett, Eliphelet Colby, 
Daniel Watson, Francis Smith, Aaron Greeley, John Jewett, 
Green French, Moses Jewett, Jacob Sibley, Elneser Riden (?), 
Abraham Davis, Isaac Colbey, Jonathan Chase, Nehemiah Colby, 
Samuel Hoyt, Joseph Flint, Abel Kimball, Asa Heldreth, Samuel 
Farrington, Jonathan Gorden, David How, Nathaniel Clement, 
Joshua Morse, Philip Greeley, Nathaniel Morgan, Jacob Hoyt, 
David Connor, Timothy Darling, Nathan Sargent, Jacob Straw, 
Moses Emerson, Moses Bailey, Johnthing O'Connor, Ezra Hoyt, 
Nicholas Colby, Matthew Stanley, Stephen Hoyt, Stephen East- 
man, John Trussel, Joseph Story, Moses Gould, John Gage, Thomas 
Bickford, Moses Sanborn, David Young, John George, Joseph 
O'Connor, Joseph Davis, Thomas Webber, Moses Sawyer, Moses 
Hills, Richard Straw, William Peters, Jonathan Quimby, John 
Darling, Josiah Smith, Benjamin Jewett, John Burbank, Caleb 
Smart, Isaac Chandler, Jeremiah Story, jr., Isaac Fallow, Abra- 
ham Kimball, Joseph Chandler, John Gage, jr., Nathaniel Kim- 
ball, Samuel Jewett, Oliver Pierson, Ezekiel Straw, Daniel Cresey, 
David Fellows, Daniel Noyes, Joseph Clarke, Henry French; 
Zachariah Story, Nathan Story, David Clough, Jeremiah Story, 
Joseph Hovey, Samuel Stanley, Joseph Barnard, Ephraim Gay (?), 
Samuel Stocker, Samuel Harris, William Godfrey, Peter Sargent, 
John Webber, Moses Connor, Samuel Smith, Mark Jewett, Richard 
Merrill, Nathan Kimball, Moses Straw, Ralph Judkins, Richard 
Webber, William Colby, William Davis, Caleb Burbank, Thomas 
Eastman, Ruben Kimball, William Scales, Jonathan Quimby, Ben- 
jamin Quimby, Jacob Choat, Joseph Nichol, Samuel Brackenbury, 
James Kimball, Oliver Sawyer, Benjamin Sawyer, Johnson Guile, 
Frances Whittier, Isaac Davis, James Clough, Jonathan Hunt, Sam- 
uel Silver, Philip Godfried, Esq., John Eatton, Joseph Hastings, Sam 
uel Hadley, Benj. Wiggin, Josiah Judkins, Daniel Flanders. — 161. 

( James Smith ) 
-I John Clement > Selectmen. 
• ( Benj. Wiggin ) 



60 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

The names on this paper are those that Refused to sign to the 
Declaration Sent from the Committee of Safety to us the Sub- 
scribers. 

James Smith, ^ Selectmen 
John Clement, >- for 
Benj. Wiggin, ) Hopkinton. 

Chase Wiggin, Nathaniel Barker, James-JBuswell, James Jewett, 
■Christopher Gould, Benj. Brown, Abraham Brown, Nathan Gould, 
Moses Jones, John Jones, Eastman Hoit, John Currier, Richard 
Cressy, Benj. Merrill. — 14. 

The considerate reader will bear in mind that the act of 
the fourteen men in refusing to sign the declaration does 
not of itself convict them of disloyalty of heart to the 
American cause. The steps of resistance to British author- 
ity taken by the American patriots no doubt seemed des- 
perate and hopeless to men of more conservative instincts, 
even though they inwardly admitted the justice of the 
cause they dared not espouse. 

When the people of Hopkinton became subject to the 
necessities of the Revolution, they were under a law 
requiring all persons between sixteen and sixty years of 
age to do military duty. Each town was also required to 
ieep a regular supply of one barrel of gunpowder, two 
hundred pounds of lead, and three hundred flints. In Sep- 
tember, 1776, the provincial authority passed an act form- 
ing two military bands known as the Training Band and 
the Alarm Band. The first band included all the able- 
bodied men from sixteen to sixty years of age, excepting 
certain public officers and employees, negroes, mulattoes, 
and Indians ; the second, all persons from sixteen to sixty- 
five not included in the first. 

In Hopkinton, on the 4th of March, 1776, Major Chand- 
ler, Joshua Bayley, and Moses Hill were made a local com- 
mittee of safety. However, the existence of war implies 
soldiers. They are either volunteers, conscripts, hirelings, 
or, in the peculiar language of the records of Hopkinton, 
persons " sent for." Soldiers are recompensed by govern- 
mental wages, by bounties, or by local allowances. In the 
progress of Revolutionary events in Hopkinton, there 
were repeated votes to carry on the war by " rates." The 
town voted money, corn, and beef for the support of 
the army. On the 14th of January, 1777, votes were 
passed to procure shovels, spades, one hundred pounds of 




Hon. Abram Brown. 



THE REVOLUTION. 61 

gunpowder, with lead and flints ; but the vote to buy 
"intrenching tools" was rescinded on the 3d of the next 
March. During the progress of the war, the town allowed 
parents and masters for service done by their sons and 
apprentices, gave militia the same pay as soldiers, made 
Continental soldiers good in respect to the depreciation of 
money, and chose committees to hire men when "sent for." 
It also aided the families of non-commissioned officers and 
soldiers. 

The town having on one occasion voted to raise twentv- 
six men, the following act, passed February 8, 1779, became 
effective through evident opposition, it showing how the 
dues of citizens were adjusted : 

Voted that Each and Every Person which was Rated to Pay the 
hire of the 26 men which was Raised to go in to the Continental 
Sarvis that went in this Town's Behalf in the year 1777 Shall Each 
of them have the Benefit of theare Proportion of the Sarvis of 
them Sd. 26 men according to theire Rats which thay Paid in Sd 
Rats to hire Sd men according to a Vote Passed to hire Sd 26 men 
on the Towns Cost without any Deduction Notwithstanding any 
Vote or Vots Pased in Sd. Town Repugnant to the above Sd Vote 
Senc Sd Vote was passed. 

The foregoing record is followed by this memorandum : 

February 8: 1779 then Mistr Aaron Greeley Liut Jonathan 
Chase Liut Joshua Morse Joseph Barnard Thomas Webber Eliph- 
elet Colby Ensla (?) Brown Liut Joseph Chandler Dea Abel Kim- 
ball Jeremial Story June Moses Emerson Enterd thear Desent 
against the above Vote. 

_ The following vote, passed June 3, 1782, is suggestive 
in a similar connection : 

Voted that every Person which had theare Recits Sent in a gainst 
them By this Town Should Recieve the Same Benefit from the 
1 own that the Town Received from the State By the Reson of 
Said Recipts Being Sent in against them. 

The following votes, passed on the 15th of May, 1777 
shed some light upon the price paid to Revolutionary sol- 
diers by this town : 

Voted to accept the raits that is already made for the warfare. 

Voted to allow to those Persons which hired men for three year 
before thear was any Committee Chose in Town for to hire men 



62 LIFE AM) TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

for three year Equal month with those which the Committee hired 
at Ninty Dolars the three year. 

Hopkinton men fought on many battle-fields of the Rev- 
olution side by side with others of the different New Eng- 
land colonies. The records of any distinctive parts per- 
formed during the war by men of this town are very 
meagre. While the soldiers were fighting abroad, jDublic 
vigilance was alert at home. On the 4th of March, 1776, 
the town passed an act in favor of deposing certain parties, 
charged with disloyalty to the common cause, from the 
privileges of public trust, and making official recognition 
of the same a deed of public hostility. 

The following is a record of this act: 

Voted that our Representative Should Use his Enflunc that the 
two Greens Should Be Put Down from thare office and that if any 
Person Should go to Peter Green to git a Rit he Should Be Looked 
upon an inemy to h's Country. 

Peter Greene, mentioned above, was a physician and 
justice of the peace residing at Concord. He was arrested 
on suspicion of being a Tory in 1777. 

There was once an evidence of public faltering on the 
part of the people of Hopkinton in view of the trials of the 
Revolution. The following is the record: 

Voted to Chuse a Committee to Prefer a Pettition to the ginaral 
Court to have the act in Regard of the oat of fidelity Repealed. 

Voted Capt Straw mr Benjamin Wiggin & mr Isaac Bayley the 
Committee to Prefer Said Pettion. 

The foregoing votes were passed March 4, 1782. 

In attempting the recovery of the names of the Revolu- 
tionary soldiers from this town, we have been greatly 
assisted by the late Hon. George W. Nesmith, of Franklin, 
to whom we are indebted for numerous particulars selected 
from extensive data in his possession. 

The following were at Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775, in 
Capt. Gorden Hutchins's company: Nathaniel Clement, 
Abraham Kimball, William Darling, Thomas Mathews, 
Jonathan Judkins. John Gorden, Elisha Corliss, Nath. 
Perkins, and Micah Flanders, members of the same com- 
pany, are of doubtful residence, though some of them were 
probably from Weare. Most of the Hopkinton men at 



THE REVOLUTION. 63 

Bunker Hill were enrolled in the company of Capt. Isaac 
Baldwin, of Hillsborough, who was killed on the field, and 
whose command devolved upon Lieut. John Hale, of this 
town, who served with the following others: 2d Lieut. 
Stephen Hoyt, Serg. Moses Kimball, Corporals Moses Bay- 
ley, Moses Connor, Reuben Kimball, and Moses Darling ; 
Moses Trussell, John Putney, Samuel Hildreth, Peter Howe, 
Timothy Clements, Daniel Cressy, Joseph Putney, Clifford 
Chase, Richard Straw, Thomas Eastman, Thomas Hills, 
Benjamin Stanley, John Stanley, Enoch Eastman. Trus- 
sell lost an arm, and his coat and knapsack. Hildreth, 
Hills, Chase, and Thomas Eastman each lost a coat. Lieu- 
tenant Hoyt and John Putney each lost a coat and knapsack. 
Caleb Smart was also at Bunker Hill, in Stark's regiment, 
and was wounded. 

The following privates were enlisted August 2, 1775, 
and served under Capt. John Parker, of Litchfield, in the 
northern campaign : Samuel Smith, John T. Connor, Eben- 
ezer Collins, James Judkins, David Clough, Jedidiah Jew- 
ett, Daniel Murray, Joseph Stanley. 

In Col. Benedict Arnold's regiment, that cut through 
the wilderness of Maine to Quebec in 1775, in Capt. Henry 
Dearborn's company, were Lieut. Nathaniel Hutchins, and 
a private named Carr. 

In the latter part of 1775, thirty-one companies of sol- 
diers were sent from New Hampshire to reinforce General 
Sullivan at Charlestown. The officers of the twentieth 
company were Timothy Clements, of Hopkinton, captain ; 
Joseph Chandler, first lieutenant ; Amos Gould, second 
lieutenant. 

The following enlisted in Col. Pierse Long's regiment, 
on the 8th of August, 1776, and served four months, or 
one hundred and twenty-one days : Capt. Timothy Clem- 
ents, Serg. Moses Darling, Daniel Blaisdell, Isaac Clements. 
Lieut. Nathaniel Hutchins also belonged to this regiment, 
being promoted to a captaincy, and, on the expiration of the 
term of enlistment in the spring of 1777, recruited a com- 
pany and joined Col. Joseph Cilley's regiment in April. 
Captain Hutchins retired from service in January, 1781. 

The following soldiers were enlisted into the continental 
service by the authority of Colonel Stickney, generally for 
a service of three years. The enlistments began early in 
1777. In Colonel Scammel's regiment, Capt. Daniel Liver- 



64 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKTNTON. 

more's company, were Serg. Samuel Smith, Joseph Bick- 
ford (died June 20, 1778), B. Sargent, Samuel Judkins; in 
Colonel Cilley's regiment, Capt. James Gregg's company, 
Ebenezer Blaisdell, Jr. (died August 15, 1777) ; in Captain 
Hutchins's company, Serg. Ebenezer Collins (wounded 
October 7, at Stillwater, N. Y.— died October 26, 1777) ; 
Serg. John Chadwick, Moses Colby, Daniel Creasy, John 
Eastman (killed July 8, 1777, at Hubbardton, Vt.), James 
Edgerly, William Hodgkins, Jonathan Judkins, Samuel 
Stocker, Enoch Hoit, David Smith (died August 4, 1778), 
Caleb Smart, Elijah Smart, Jonathan Sawyer, Benjamin 
Williams, Joseph Eastman (died October 30, 1777, at Sara- 
toga). Most of these men were enlisted in April, some for 
less than three years. 

The following were with Capt. Joshua Bayley, of this 
town, at Bennington, being enlisted on or about the 20th 
of July, 1777, and discharged at Stillwater on or about the 
20th of the following September : Quartermaster Joseph 
Stanley, 2d Lieut. Timothy Farnham, 2d Serg. Joshua. 
Gile, 4th Serg. Peter Howe, 1st Corp. John Burbank, 4th 
Corp. Ebenezer Eaton, Christopher Gould, Richard Smith, 
Samuel Howe, David Howe, Jonathan Straw, Jr., Stephen 
Harriman, Jr., Jonathan Hunt, Josiah Corbet, Moses Emer- 
son, Moses Jones, Daniel French, Abraham Kimball (se- 
verely wounded), Caleb Burbank, Ebenezer Rider. 

The following were enrolled in Capt. John Hale's com- 
pany, Col. Henry Gerrish's regiment, called out to reinforce 
General Gates, enlisting in August, 1777, and performing- 
twenty-eight days' service : Capt. John Hale, Serg. Daniel 
Flanders, Corp. Jacob Straw, Jonathan Chase, Stephen 
Hoit, Philip Greeley, Jacob Hoit, Nathan Sargent, Richard 
Carr Rogers, Joseph Chadwick, Moses Hills, Thomas Hills, 
Samuel Farrington, David Fellows, Josiah Corbett, Enoch 
Long, David Kimball, Moses Burbank. 

The following Hopkinton men enlisted in a company 
commanded by Capt. Joshua Bayley, and served twenty- 
five days in August and September, 1778, in the campaign 
in Rhode Island : Lieut. Thomas Rowell, Serg. Moses Dar- 
ling, Serg. Abner Chase, Corp. Reuben Kimball, Corp. Levi 
Hildreth, Oliver Dow, Moses Hills, Joseph Hastings, Jacob 
Choat, Jonathan Straw, Ezekiel Straw, Samuel Hoit, Timo- 
thy Darling, David Kimball, Samuel Chase, Richard Smith, 
William Putney, Timothy Farnham, David Howe, William 



THE REVOLUTION. 65 

Barnard, Joshua Morse, John Clement, William Ayers r 
Moses Clarke, Joseph Currier, Moses Clement, Jacob 
Tucker, Ezekiel Goodwin, Ira Waldron ; — these men were 
in the regiment of Col. Moses Keiley, of Goffstown. Corp. 
John S. Farnham enlisted into the army May 5, 1779 ; 
John Eaton and Timothy Farnham, April 5, 1781 ; — these 
were all discharged in December, 1781. Benjamin Creasy 
enlisted April 6, 1781, and was discharged March 17, 1782; 
he was claimed by Henniker. 

The following were new levies from and for Hopkinton, 
enlisted before or during 1781, and distributed among 
different continental regiments : Serg. Isaac Clement (died 
in December, 1780), Richard Smith, Ebenezer Dustin, Da- 
vid Howe, Daniel Eaton, Alvaro Currier, Moses Chase, 
Jonathan Howe, Daniel Stickney, Moses Flanders, Benja- 
min Quimby, Samuel Howe, Ephraim Hildreth. 

It further appears that William Clement was quarter- 
master of Col. Thomas Stickney's regiment in September, 

1777, serving from the 29th of that month till the 25th of 
October. Thomas Eastman and Enoch Hoit were of Col. 
Joseph Cilley's regiment, Captain Hutchins's company, in 

1778, being counted as absentees. John Eastman and John 
Farnam were in Colonel Stickney's regiment in 1779. 

The following names of Revolutionary soldiers we are 
unable to locate : Abram Currier, Samuel French, Michael 
Stocker, John Robinson, Benjamin Flanders, Jr., Daniel 
Kimball, Stephen Putney, Jeremiah Tyler, William Stocker. 

In the absence of any special testimony upon the subject, 
it may be inferred the Revolutionary soldiers from this 
town were, as a whole, faithful to their duty. However, 
as a matter of history, the following document is of interest 
in this connection : 

State of > 
New Hampshire, f 
In Com tee of Safety, July 5th, 1781. 

Sir : — 

You are hereby directed to proceed in searching for Isaac Walker 
and Wm. Putney of Hopkinton — Michael Ames and Israel Rand of 
Warner, James Keiley of Stratham and James Randall of Chester 
or Nottingham, who have lately deserted from Capt. Eben r Dear- 
ing's Company stationed at Piscataqua Harbour — And if they can 
be found to secure them & return them to the said company. And 
all officers Civil & Military are here by required to give you their 
5 



66 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

aid & assistance in finding, securing and sending on to their com- 
pany the said Deserters. 

M. Weabe, Pres*. 
L*. Joseph Huntoon. 

On the 13th day of January, 1778, a town-meeting was 
held in part to see what the town would decide in reference 
to the "Articles of Confederation of the United States of 
America." The simple record of the town's decision is as 
follows : 

Voted to Reciv the articles of Confederation. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1776 TO 1783. 

In this chapter are included many incidents properly be- 
longing to a Revolutionary narrative, but which, for better 
classification and greater ease in compilation, are reserved 
for this division of our work. 

In the immediately preceding chapter, we made a reference 
to the depreciation of money. The reader of general his- 
tor}'- understands this reference. Money is the sinew of 
war. The American colonies, in want of money, issued a 
continental currency, in bills of paper that rapidly lost 
value. The records of Hopkinton illustrate the decline of 
the currency. On March 1, 1779, the town raised <£1000 
for the expense of highways, the price of a man's labor a 
day to be five dollars, and " the same for a yoke of oxen, 
cart, and plow." On April 4, 1780, the price of labor for a 
man was voted to be fifteen dollars a day, the same for a 
yoke of oxen, and one third of the same for a cart, and the 
same for a plow as for a cart. On March 5, 1781, with 
£4000 for highways, thirty dollars was decreed the price of 
a man's labor a day, the same of a yoke of oxen, with ten 
for each a cart and plow. On February 17, 1780, the dues 
of the Rev. Elijah Fletcher were voted to be four thousand 
dollars, to make up the equivalent of the depreciation of 
money on his salary the year past. 

During the Revolutionary period, public instruction of 
children and youth in school was almost or entirely sus- 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1776 TO 1783. 67 

pended. The town also publicly signified its willingness 
to pay the cost, if complained of for not keeping a school. 
March 2, 1778, the town voted to sell the school right or 
school lot, and devote the interest of the proceeds for the 
support of yearly schools, but this act proved a futile one. 

There were a few ecclesiastical items transacted during 
the period under discussion. The subject of public church 
music was one of consideration at town-meeting. March 1, 
1779, the town voted to allot twelve feet of gallery of the 
meeting-house in front for the use of singers, and that the 
singers' pew " should be put on the town's cost." On Sep- 
tember 8, 1783, it was voted that Thomas Bailey, Daniel 
Tenny, Jacob Spofford, Jonathan Quimby, Jr., Nathaniel 
Clement, and Isaac Bailey, should sit in the singing pew, to 
lead in singing, and to take in such singers as they thought 
proper. 

There was notable progress made in the construction of 
bridges during this period. It seems that by July 1, 1779, 
there was a voluntary bridge of partial construction over 
the Contoocook river, near Lieut. Benjamin Thurber's house. 
Such evidence as we have obtained indicates that this 
bridge was at the place of the first ferry, below the village 
of Contoocook. On the date above mentioned, a vote to 
see if the town would assume the cost of this bridge, so far 
as constructed, passed in the negative, though the town 
voted to finish the structure. The action in favor of fin- 
ishing the bridge was reaffirmed on the 7th of the same 
month, when, also, the selectmen were authorized to prosecute 
" the offenders in regard to the bridge being flung down." 
The last act suggests the speculation that parties who built 
bridges on their own cost assumed the right to " fling down" 
the same at their own pleasure. The town chose Capt. 
Stephen Harriman, Eins. Enoch Eastman, and Christopher 
Gould a committee to finish the bridge, which appears to 
have been the first one over the Contoocook that was aided 
by the public authority. About the same time, the town 
voted to build two bridges over Paul's brook, the first 
in 1778, succeeding a previous one, near Dea. Currier's 
house, which means near the present residence of John F. 
Currier ; and another over Ordway's brook, in 1781, near 
Abraham Kimball's mill, which is the same as the spot near 
or where the Buswell's Corner road now crosses Dolloff's 
brook, at the north-east quarter of the town. 



68 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

There were numerous minor acts done during the time 
under consideration. On March 21, 1777, the town voted 
to build a "pair of stocks" near the meeting-house ; on the 
first Tuesday in September, 1779, to give up Thomas Bick- 
ford's bond to keep a ferry across the Contoocook river ; 
on March 4, 1782, to give a bounty of five silver dollars for 
the head of each wolf killed in town by a resident of the 
town ; and, on the same date, to "lose eighty old continental 
dollars which were counterfeit of Constable Story." 

The condition of events anticipative of a new form of 
civil government was active. The constitutional conven- 
tion of 1775 not effecting satisfactory results, there followed 
another of 1778, to which the town sent Captain Harriman. 
Then followed the revisional convention of 1781, to which 
Joshua Bailey was sent, and which had nine sessions, and 
lasted two years, its result eventually being accepted by 
the people of the state. Hopkinton twice rejected the 
work of the convention previously to the selection of a 
committee of examination on the 18th day of November, 

1782. This committee was composed of Captain Straw, 
Mr. Aaron Greeley, Nathan Sargent, Enoch Long, Major 
Chandler, Deacon Kimball, Lieutenant Chase, Joshua Bai- 
ley, and Lieutenant Morse. On the 23d of the next De- 
cember, the town accepted the plan of government with 
the amendments proposed, and on the 8th of September, 

1783, it voted " to accept of the alteration made by the 
convention in the plan of government." 

During the transitional progress of civil events, Hop- 
kinton kept up its representation at the General Court. 
The following were its representatives : Capt. John Put- 
ney, in 1776 ; Capt. Stephen Harriman, in 1777 ; Joshua 
Bailey, in 1778 ; Dea. Abel Kimball, in 1779 ; Moses Hills, 
in 1780 ; Capt. Stephen Harriman, in 1781 ; Lieut. Jona- 
than Chase, in 1782 ; Aaron Greeley, in 1783, or till the 
first Wednesday of the next June, when the new govern- 
ment became effective. 

It is noticeable in this connection that when the town 
chose Capt. John Putney a representative in 1776, it also 
chose Major Chandler, Capt. Harriman, Lieutenant Dow, 
Joshua Bailey, Ensign Eastman, Captain Straw, Esquire (?) 
Clement, Aaron Greeley, and James Smith a committee to 
instruct him. 

On March 3, 1783, the town passed the following act : 



»*tt 




o 

O 

■-J 

(X, 

o 
u 

CO 



PS 



CO 



A CONSTITUTIONAL TOWN-MEETING. 69 

Voted that Laws now Practis upon Be in fore till June 1784 
unless the Constitution takes Plac. 

On the same date the following was also passed : 

Voted to grant mr Blaisdell and his Son thear Request in Regard 
of Changing his name from obee to John and that the Town Clerk 
govern him Self accordingly. 

These two votes are not only of historic value, but they 
are interesting on account of their literary composition. 
Perhaps the curious reader can tell, by the rhetorical struct- 
ure of the second vote, what was done in respect to a name, 
and whose name it was. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

A CONSTITUTIONAL TOWN-MEETING. 

Constitutional government may be said to have begun in 
New Hampshire in 1784. Previous attempts at state con- 
stitutional government had largely been either warlike 
expedients or peaceful experiments. In attempting to give 
a general reason for the partly ineffectual attempts at gov- 
erning the state by representation, we might mention the 
socially dynamic result of a violent revolt against the gov- 
ernment of Great Britain. Escaped the bondage of one 
power, the people hesitated before assuming the too great 
obligations of another. The freeholders of New Hampshire 
dreaded any semblance of the former royal powers and priv- 
ileges They disliked the " image and superscription" of 
the British Caesar. Sanborn's History of New Hampshire 
says, — " The hatred of royalty was so intense that every 
trace of it was swept away. The sign-boards that bore the 
royal face were torn down ; pictures and coats of arms in 
private houses were removed or reversed; the names of 
streets that bore the word ' King,' or ' Queen,' were chang- 
ed, and even the half-pence that bore the image of George 
III were refused in payment of dues." Such a popular feel- 
ing engendered suspicion of the word " governor," and the 
term "president" was tolerated when the magistrate, so 
called, was made elective by popular vote. In such a condi- 



70 LIFE AND TIMES IF HOPKINTON. 

tion of social affairs, govermental measures could hardly 
fail of the severest scrutiny. However, the people of New 
Hampshire consented to accept the provisions of a constitu- 
tion, according to which the town of Hopkintou called and 
held a public meeting, as attests the following record : 

State of New j The government and People : we notify and warn 
Hampshire > all the freeholders and other inhabitants paying a 

Hillsborough ss J pole tax in Hopkinton to meet at the meeting hous 
on Monday the first Day of march Next at ten of the Clock in the 
forenoon to act on the following articles Vs : 

lly to Choos a moderator to Regulate Said meeting. 

21y to Choose a Town Clerk. 

31y to Choose Selectmen and Assessors. 

41y to vote for a President and two Senators to Serve one year 
from the first Wednesday in June next agreable to the New Con- 
stitution. 

51y to Choose one Person to Represent the Town one year from 
the first Wednesday of June Next in general Assembly to be holden 
at Concord agreable to the New Constitution. 

61y To Choose a Constable or Constables and all other Town 
officers as the Law Directs. 

71y To See what Sum or Sums of money the Town will Rais to 
Defray Town Charges and Repare the Highways. 

81y To See what Sum of money the Town will Rais to Keep a 
Town School the year in Suing. 

91y To See if the Town will abate mr William Tylers Rats in 
Constable Hoyts Rate List and all futer taxes in this Town. 

10 To See what Bounty the Town will Vote to give to any Per- 
son that Belongs to the Town for each Wolfs thay Shall Kill the 
year ensuing. 

Illy to See what the Town will give Samuel Judkins for his 
Servis as a Soldier During the war. 

121y to See if the Town will hear the Petition of mr Nathaniel 
Morgin and others in Regard of opening a Road. 

131y to See if the Town will grant the following Petition from a, 
number of the inhabitants .... to throw up the old Road or 
exchange it from the easterly Sid of mr Samuel Silvrs Land to 
mr James McHard Land and to Lay out a Road threugh Said Sil- 
vrs Land to near wheare mr Zachariah Huneford Deceased Did 
Live and through Land belonging to the Heirs of mr John East- 
man Deceased to Said mcHards Land thene through Said mcHards 
Land till it Comes to the old Road wheare it Shall be most Con- 
venient an to See if the Town will Choos a Committee to Vew & 
Settle with the owners of Said Land or otherways as thay shall 
think best : also to See if the Town will Lay out a Road from near 
wheare Said Huneford Lived threugh Said Silvers Land to mr 



A CONSTITUTIONAL TOWN-MEETING. 71 

Abraham Rowells Land and threugh Said Rowells Land to Said 
Rowells mills. 

141y To See if the Town will fenc the buring yard. 

Hopkinton February 14 : 1784. Isaac Chandler ) c i + 

Joshua Bailey >- 
Aaron Greeley ) 

at the Annual meeting held at the meeting hous on monday the 
first Day of march A d 1784 at 10 oclock in the fournoon. 

lly Voted majr Chandler moderator. 

21y Voted Joshua Bailey Town Clerk. 

31y Voted to adjourn this meting into mr Wiggins. 

41y Voted Joshua Bailey mr Thomas Bailey and mr Benja B 
Darling Selectmen and Assessors. 

51y Voted for Josiah Bartlet Esq President for this State 56 
Vote TimtWalkr Esq 2. 

61y Voted for Senaters Esqr Blood 28 Esq Page 1 georeg 
Jackman Esq 2 Joshua Bailey 31 

71y Voted mr Aaron greeley Representative. 

8ly Voted to Choos a Committee to instruct our Representative. 

91y Voted Joshua Bailey major Chandler Eins greeley Dr Clem- 
ent Capt Hale Dea Kimball Lt Chase Capt Herriman Ens Eastman 
Capt Straw Capt Moor mr B Darling and mr D Munsey the Com- 
mitte to instruct our Representative. 

lOly Voted to Carry on the Rest of the meeting by hand of Vote. 

Illy Voted to have 4 Constables. 

121y Voted mr John Trusel mr William d Colby mr Eastman 
Hoyt & mr Daniel Stickney Constables. 

131y Voted majr Chandler mr Thomas Webber Lt Jonathan 
Chase Eins Greeley mr Nathan Sargent & mr moses Kimball tithen 
men. 

141y Voted J Quimby Jr D How J Sibley J Plumer Capt Her- 
riman J Clarke mr moses Kimball Lt Dow John Homes Henry 
Blak James Putney Dr Currier Thomas Webber Lt Morse Joseph 
Colby Ju Dr Clement Moses Hills Jr Joseph Clark Capt Hale 
moody Smith David Colby Joseph Story and mr Isaac Cheeney Sur- 
vayers of Highways. 

151y Voted mr Benjamin B Darling & mr Thomas Bailey Sur- 
vayes of Lumber. 

161y Voted mr John George Clerk of the market. 

171y Voted Lt Chase Lt Morse and Capt Hale a Committee to 
examine the Select mens accompte. 

181y Voted mr Isaac Bailey Seler of Lather. 

191y Voted mr Joseph Sargent John T. Connor Joseph Chad- 
wick fenc Viwers. 

201y Voted mr Aaron greeley majr Chandler and Eins Eastman 
Lot Layers. 



72 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

211y Voted Mr David Conner Dear Reaf. 
' 221y Voted majr Chandler Pound keeper. 

231y Voted Eins Darling mr Benjamin Hoyt Mr David Fellows 
and mr Joseph Chad-wick Hogg Reafs. 

241y Voted that the Select men Should Rais as much money as 
thay think Propr for the benifit of the Town. 

25 Voted to Rais three Shilings on the Pound to Repare the 
Highways to be Laid out at three Shilings Pr Day for a man and 
the Same for a yeok of oxen. 

261y Voted to Rais Sevnty five Pounds to Keep a Town 
Schoole. 

27 Voted that this meeting be adjorned to meet thirsday at 
eleven oclock to meet at the meeting Hous. 

thirsday march 4 met according to adjournment. 

Persnally appeired Capt Straw enterd his Decent against the 
Vote of Raising 75 Pound for Schooling. 

lly Voted to Divid the Town into eight parts for Schooling and 
that each District Should Dray theare equal proportion of what 
money thay Pay which Shall Be Laid out for Schooling. 

21y Voted to abate mr William Tylers Rats to Constable Hoyt. 

31y Voted to Pas over in Regard of Said Tyler futer Rats. 

41y Voted to give any Person five Doners that belongs to this 
Town for every wolf thay Shall kill the year insuing. 

51y Voted to give David Kimball five dollerse for the Wolf he 
Killed. 

61y Voted to give Samuel Judkins twenty doners for his Sarvis 
as a Soldier. 

71y Voted to open a Highway from Lt Jacob Straws to the 
Highway By Jonathan gardinge ( ?) on the east Sid of mr mcHards 
Land. 

81y Voted to Chuse a Committe to Viu the Land menshoned in 
the warrant for a Road and that the Select men Be the Committe. 

91y Voted to fenc the buring yards with Stonwall or Bord 
fenc. 

10 Voted Capt Jonathan Straw to Receive him to Savas as Con- 
stable in the Roume of William D Colby. 

11 Voted to abate John Nichols Rats to Constables french. 

12 Voted to except of mr Samuel Hoyt as Constable in the 
Roum of Eastman Hoyt. 

Voted to adjorn to the first monday of April three oclock. 

There is no record to indicate that the adjourned meeting 
of the first Monday was ever held. The next recorded 
meeting of the town was on June 1. 

Since this chapter contemplates the town as for the first 
time under strict constitutional government, we copy the 



CONTROVERSY OVER THE MEETING-HOUSE. 73 

following paragraph from Fogg's " Gazetteer of New 
Hampshire " : 

In May, 1775, the Royal Governor withdrew, and the province 
was governed by a convention, of which Matthew Thornton was 
President ; and in January, 1776, a temporary Constitution was 
adopted under which Mesech Weare was unanimously elected 
President of the Council, and Chairman of Committee of Safety, 
till June, 1784. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

CONTROVERSY OVER THE MEETING-HOUSE. 

Succeeding 1784 and preceding 1800, there were several 
important events that demand separate chapters for their 
narration. The first of these events that we shall consider 
was the controversy over the meeting-house. 

During the progress of this work, we have seen the evi- 
dence of a public determination to locate the meeting-house 
on Putney's hill. Subsequently, we have seen the original 
determination changed, and the meeting-house located at the 
site of the present village of Hopkinton. Such a modifica- 
tion of a public purpose could hardly be effected without 
controversy, and a public controversy is always a hard thing 
to quell. The meeting-house once located upon the plain, 
there were not wanting those willing to allow their dissatis- 
faction to be known to their fellows. More than this, it 
appears there were eventually more than two places named, 
each an actual or possible site of a meeting-house. In such 
a condition of things, a controversy had abundant en- 
couragement to live. 

On the 4th day of June, 1787, the matter under consider- 
ation had obtained such a pitch as to result in a public act 
of the town as follows : 

Voted that the meeting Hous shall Stand wheare it now Stands. 

However the subject was not allowed to rest here, as is 
indicated by the following act of December 15, 1788 : 

Voted to Chuse a Committee of twelve men. Voted Mr James 
Buswell Lt Jacob Straw Capt Darling Capt Moor Capt Herriman 



74 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Lt Morse Eins Eastman Deacon Sargent Lt Farrington Capt Bailey 
Majr Chandler and Lt Hoyt Be a committee to Consult to gather 
and agree on a Plac for the meeting Hous and report to the next 
Town meeting added Daniel Fowler and John Jewett to the Com- 
mittee. 

Thus there was selected a committee of fourteen men, 
presumably all of judgment and influence. On February 2, 
1789, the town accepted a report, which was as follows : 

Hopkinton, December 22 : 1788 at a meeting of the Committee 
Choosen by the Town of Hopkinton to consult upon a place wheare 
the meeting Hous ought to Stand lly Voted Majr Chandler moder- 
ator 21y Voted Lt Hoyt Clerk 31y after we have Considered the 
matter Respecting the meeting hous we have Examined the Rats 
and we find the east end of the Town Pays about Eight Pound in 
fifty in the minister tax more than the west end and is eight Pats in 
number more : also the travil is thirty Six miles farther to the Com- 
mon Lot On the Hill So cald then wheare it now Stands according 
to our Computation : as those two Places are the only ones that was 
Picked upon by the Committee thearefore we think the meeting 
Hous ought not to be moved. 

This report appears to have been signed by a majority of 
the committee as follows : Nathan Sargent, Samuel Farring- 
ton, John Jewett, John Moore-, Isaac Chandler, James Bus- 
well, Benja. B. Darling, Enoch Eastman, Joshua Morse. 

Within three days after the acceptance of this report, the 
meeting-house was burned, and, February 5, a warrant 
was issued for a town meeting " at Mr. Isaac Babson's 
dwelling," a tavern occupying the site of the present Per- 
kins Inn, on the 12th of the same month. At this meeting, 
the following acts were passed : 

Voted that the Selectmen Should be a Committee to appoint a Jus- 
tic out of the town to go to such Persons as thay think Proper and 
Propose Such Oaths as thay think Proper in order to find out who 
Sot the meeting hous on fire. 

Voted that the Selectmen Should take Such Persons with them as 
thay think Proper for theare assistanc. 

Voted that the Selectmen should take Such Person or Persons 
as thay think Proper on Suspicion and Sumons Such evidances as 
thay think Proper to Prove the facts and Prosecut to final Judgement. 

The foregoing business having been transacted, the sub- 
ject of a new meeting-house was in the regular order of 
sequence, and it was discharged as follows : 



CONTROVERSY OVER THE MEETING-HOUSE. 75 

Voted to build a meeting Hous. 

a Vote to See if thay would have it on the Common Lot Past to 
the Negitive 59 for 134 against. 

to have it Near Lt E Straws Past to the Negitive for it 62 against 
it 129. 

Voted to have it wheare the meeting hous was Burnt or within a 
few Rods 129 for 62 against. 

However, the controversy was so intense and the dissatis- 
faction of the minority so great, the foregoing action was 
not held to be conclusive. The aid of disinterested influ- 
ence was invoked. The following action of the same date 
reveals the method: 

Voted to have it Left to the first Selectmen in the three following 
Towns Namely Gilmantown Linesborough and Washington tbat the 
first Selectman that is now in office and that if the first man is 
absent or Cant Com to take the Second. 

Voted that rar Daniel Flanders and mr James Buswill be a Com- 
mittee to wait on Said Committee. 

The committee of selectmen of the three named towns 
accepted the call and discharged their duty with apparent 
faithfulness. On March 2, 1789, at a town-meeting called 
at the Babson tavern and adjourned to "Mr. Babson's barn- 
yard," the following report was publicly rendered : 

To the Town of Hopkinton Gentlemen : 

we, your Committee, appointed to fix upon a Suitble Plac in your 
Town for you to build a meeting hous upon do Report that we have 
taken a Vew of the Principle part of your Town and the Situation 
of Each Part of the Same and have found it to be attended with 
difficulty Rightly to Settle the matter in Such a way that Each Part 
of the Town Should have theare Equality of Privileges : the Senter 
of a Town in a general way is to be attended to in these Cases but 
we are informed the Senter of the Land in your Town Cannot be 
Regarded for the above purpose thearefore we have taken a Vew of 
the other Spots of ground Nominated by the Several Parts of the 
Town (viz) the Connor near mr Burbank's the Hill the Spot by the 
School House and the old meeting House Spot and considered them 
thus : it appears to us that the Spot by mr Burbanks will accome- 
date the Southwest Part of the Town only: as to the Hill, it 
appears to us that it will accomedate the Northwesterly part of the 
Town only : as to the Plac by the School Hous the distance from 
the old Spot is So Small it is not worth attending to : Thearefore, 
we, the Subscribers, are unanimus of the oppinion that near the 



76 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Spot wheare the old meeting Hous Stood will be the most Con- 
venient Plac for you to build a Meeting House upon. 
Hopkinton, February 20, 1789. 

Peter Clark, J 

Ezekiel Hoit, >- Committee. 

Jeremiah Bacon, ) 

Of the reporting committee, Peter Clark was from 
Lyndeborough ; Ezekiel Hoit, from Gilmanton ; Jeremiah 
Bacon, from Washington. The public presentation of 
their report was followed by these acts : 

Voted to Build a meeting Hous agreable to the Report of the 
Committee. 

Voted to Choose a Committe of five. 

Voted Capt Bailey Capt Chase mr Hill Capt Greeley and Lt 
morse a Committe to make a Draft of the meeting Hous and make 
Sale of the Pews and Build the meeting Hous. 

After an adjournment of one week, the town passed the 
following act : 

Voted that the meeting Hous Should be 62 feet Long and 46 wid 
with a Porch at Each end about 12 feet Squer. 

Preliminarily to erecting the proposed meeting-house, 
the town discharged certain minor matters. It was voted 
that the work of construction should be let out to the low- 
est bidder, and that the excess of money obtained from the 
sale of pews should be returned to the purchasers pro rata. 
Captain Straw was given the underpinning of the old meet- 
ing-house on condition that he find and lay the stone steps to 
the new one : he was also voted the nails, hinges, and iron 
of the former meeting-house. 

The new meeting-house was erected upon the site of the 
old one, apparently according to the proportions defined in 
the vote of the town, March 9, 1789. The ultimate style of 
architecture was superior to that of the old one, if size and 
stateliness are to be taken into account. The house, 
eventually moved northerly and improved, had seven 
entrances. There were three doors at the end, or the side 
fronting the village square. There were two in each of the 
easterly and westerly towers. Within the edifice, the cus- 
tomary high pulpit and sounding-board were on the north, 
and a large, wide gallery compassed, at least, the east, south 



CONTROVERSY OVER THE MEETING-HOUSE. 77 

and west. In front of the pulpit, and designed for the use 
of the officers of the church, were a few pews of more ele- 
gant construction. The rest of the pews were of the usual 
plain, square kind, with seats hung by hinges rendering 
them capable of being raised or lowered at pleasure. 

As may be inferred from what has already been expressed 
in this chapter, the destruction of the first meeting-house 
was incendiary. There were, at least, two persons sus- 
pected of the offence of burning the edifice. On M^y 8, 
1789, the town voted to forgive Abel Rowell for his offence 
in burning the meeting-house, upon condition that his 
father bind him to labor for the town to the satisfaction of 
the claim, his father appearing to have made the original 
proposal to that effect ; but on the same date, the town 
clerk was asked to record the fact that the father and son 
had both been asked if they had anything to offer to the 
town, and they replied that they had not. On the follow- 
ing 8th of June, the town voted that Captain Greeley 
should " carry on the lawsuit or cause against Abel 
Rowell," who was ultimately convicted and imprisoned in 
the jail at Amherst. The last action of the town in regard 
to this matter appears to have been on December 6, 1793, 
when the following was passed: 

Voted to Discharge and forgive Abel Rowell all the Cost that the 
Town Was at in Recovering the Execution by Which he is now held 
a Prisoner in Amherst jail before Said Execution Was Given to 
Nathan Kendall Deputy Sheriff for Service. 

In regard to the other suspected party involved in the 
affair of the burned meeting-house, we present the follow- 
ing record of December 11, 1794. 

Voted to Consider Lt Jacob Straw as Innocent of Burning the 
meeting house that Was burnt in town in February 1789 or acces- 
sory thereto. 



78 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER XX. 

TROUBLE WITH THE MINISTER. 

In a previous chapter, we noticed the call of the Rev. 
Elijah Fletcher to the ministry of the town. The Rev. 
Mr. Fletcher continued in the pastoral service of the town 
till his death on the 8th of April, 1786. He was succeeded 
by the Rev. Jacob Cram, who received a call by the vote 
of the town on the 10th of November, 1788. The Rev. 
Mr. Cram was ordained February 25, 1789, at a time when 
the town had no meeting-house. The ordination occurred 
in the open air, in front of Benjamin Wiggin's tavern, — the 
dwelling-house now occupied by Mrs. Helen B. Goodspeed 
and E. Eugene Dunbar. The new minister was soon 
involved in a serious trouble. A considerable number of 
the people of the town appear to have conceived a strong 
dislike for him and his teaching. A bitter controversy 
ensued. Its results ramified far and wide in the adminis- 
tration of public affairs. 

The precise cause of the difficulty between the Rev. Mr. 
Cram and a portion of the people of the town is not very 
evident. A prescribed condition of the settlement of the 
town, as we have seen, implied the obligation of the settlers 
to support " a learned an orthodox minister." The intelli- 
gent reader observes that the required obligation does 
not define the terms "learned" and "orthodox," which 
are explained only by the evident disposition of the times 
and the practice of the people. One informed in the early 
history of New England clearly understands the reason 
why, in the fulfillment of their obligations, the residents of 
Hopkinton, while the requirement existed, supported a 
minister of the Calvinistic, Congregational faith, not to 
insist upon the fact that he was always a graduate of a 
college. 

We are compelled to assume that the Rev. Jacob Cram 
was both a learned and an orthodox minister. We assume 
he was learned, because he was a graduate of Dartmouth 
college ; we assume he was orthodox, because he was not 
placed under the ban of his church. We conceive that, 
outside of any personal defections there may have been 
between the Rev. Jacob Cram and his people, there was an 
undercurrent of vexation that culminated eventually in the 



TROUBLE WITH THE MINISTER. 79 

separation of the functions of church and state in New 
Hampshire. The American instinct, reflection, and action 
were so predisposed to freedom, a law implying their 
restriction, if not openly disobeyed, was liable to frequent 
evasion. It is true that the law of the state, requiring the 
support of "a learned and orthodox minister," if not dis- 
obeyed, was evaded by many people in New Hampshire 
before the year 1819, when the so called Toleration Act 
was passed by the state legislature. 

Assuming him to have been a learned and orthodox min- 
ister, we surmise that the Rev. Jacob Cram may not have 
been a person who always illustrated the highest prudence. 
It is among the possibilities that he set forth the orthodox 
conception of time and eternity with an aggressive empha- 
sis that created offence. Doing so, he could not fail to 
intensify the more or less dormant social opposition to the 
ecclesiastical law of the state. Whatever may have been 
the exact truth in the Rev. Jacob Cram's case, it is fortu- 
nate that we have a list of the specific accusations jnade 
agaiust him, and which accusations, crude as they are in 
their formulated expression, convey suggestions of valuable 
historic importance. The following document bears wit- 
ness to our assertion: 

Hopkinton Novr 25th 1791. 

A Complaint to the Congregational Church of Christ in Said 
town against your Revd Pastor mr Jaiob Cram : 

1st In his Deceiving Some of the people in not leting them know 
his principals before he was Settled in town as your Pastor. 

2nd In his saying in Puhlick that Persons can Convert them- 
selves & in private that Persons can Convert themselves in half an 
hour. 

3rd In his saying in Public that there is enough in a natural 
man to reunite him to god. 

4th In his saying in Publick that a natural man is as dead as a 
dead Corpse. 

5th in his saying in private Conversation that god was the author 
of every Event that takes Place both in the natural & moral world 
Sin not excepted. 

6th In his saying in public that the Town had been a Cheat & 
Cheating in tithes & offerings ever Since it was Settled. 

7th In his Saying in Public that the apostle Paul is now repent- 
ing in Heaven & would be to all Eternity. 

8th In his saying in Public that it is the duty of Ministers after 
they had warned the People & given them Instruction if they would 



80 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

not repent it is then the Duty of the Minister to Pray that the Lord 
would Cast them off & send them to hell. 

9th In his accusing some of his hearers in Public of going after 
the Ministers of Hell. 

10th In his saying in Public that Children are guilty of [it] that 
Sin before they are born. 

11th In his saying in Public that the greatest Sin a natural man 
commits is his going to meeting & reading his Bible. 

12th In his Saying in private that if a Person can Prove any- 
thing he had said he would acknowledge it but if he could not he 
should do nothing about it. 

13th In his requesting the town to join with him to Call a Coun- 
cil to Know the Will of Heaven through them what to do Concerning 
the Difficulties that had arose on his account in town as he wished 
not to be a means of breaking the town & afterwards denying that 
Ever he proposed any such thing. 

14th In his requesting Interest for his Settlement & after being 
Urged not to take any & told it would set the People against him 
he said he had thought of a way that it might be Put so that the 
People would not know it. 

Now we desire you to Call an Ecclesiastical Council to look into 
the fore going Complaints & grant the town such Relief respecting 
them as they in their wisdom shall think fit. 

Joshua Bailey 

Jonathan Chase Committee 
Isaac Bailey y for the 
Aaron Greeley Town 

Thomas Bailey 

The reader will observe that the foregoing specifications 
and accusations are addressed to the church, the acknowl- 
edged umpire of theology and morals. However, the town, 
as a civil function, reserved to itself very important related 
matters which it found difficult to adjust. The Rev. Mr. 
Cram had not been ordained without opposition, and his 
ordination being accomplished, there were dissatisfied resi- 
dents of the town who refused to pay their ministerial 
taxes. The direct issue of this phase of the situation is 
revealed by an article inserted in the warrant for a town- 
meeting on December 13, 1790, as follows : 

to See if they will Vote to leave the matter to men that Shall be 
mutually Chosen by both Parties wheather those men that Peti- 
tioned the Council against the Rev mr Crams ordination and have 
not generally attended his Public Sarvise Shall Pay the Tax or not 
that is already assesed against them for his Settlement and Salary 



trouble with the minister. 81 

or any other man or men that has not generally attended on his' 
Public Servises Sence his Settlement and also respecting the Cattle 1 
that was taken from a number of men" by Distrant for Said Taxes 1 
if voted them. 

The record of the meeting that was held hi answer to the 
warrant mentioned asserts the following: 

Voted to Leave it to indefrent persons to deside upon the article 
in the warrant Respecting thos that was against mr Crams orde- 
nation. 

Voted to Leave the matter to the four Hond Judges of the 
Superior Court to Determin the Caus. 

The progress of the controversy between the minister and 
a number of the citizens of the town assumed many phases, 
of which a perfect knowledge is now very difficult. It is 
evident that the subject had its aggressive legal aspects. 
The town, once a complainant, became a defendant. Pub- 
lic deliberations were held, committees were chosen, and at 
length a council was held ; but the controversy, either in 
fact or result, dragged along. The vote to refer the matter 
to the judges of the superior court appears to have been 
futile, for on March 28, 1791, the town passed the follow- 
ing act : 

Voted to except of the Report of the Committee which is as follows : 
Memorandan we the Subscribors being requested By Joshua Bailey 
and others acting as a Committee in Behalf of the Town of Hopkin- 
ton on the one Part and Stephen Harriman and others in behalf of 
Certain Persons Called the agreeved party in Said Town on the 
other Part to Heare the Several matters in Dispute subsisting 
between the partis and give our oppinions theare on Whiather the 
Said aggrieved party or any of them according to the Constitution 
and Laws of the State are Holden to Pay the Taxes assessed on 
them for the year 1789 and 1790 for the Settlement and Support of 
the Revd mr Cram as a minister in Said Town and Having fully 
heard the Parties we are of Oppinion that the Said Stephen Herri- 
man and others are acccording to the afore said principles holden to 
pay Said taxes accepting the following persons Vs Jacob Hoyt 
Jacob Sibley and Moses Emerson. 

Hopkinton Stanford Kingsbury, 

March 24 : 1791. Jonathan Freeman r 

Ebenr. Webster. 

Of the foregoing committee, Sanford Kingsbury was from 
Claremont ; Jonathan Freeman, from Hanover ; Ebenezer 
Webster, from Salisbury. 
6 



82 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

By the character of the foregoing report, the indication 
is that the town had the legal advantage of the delinquent 
ministerial tax-payer. However, the report was not final. 
The same day that it was accepted by the town, a vote was 
passed " to join with the Rev. Mr. Cram in calling a council 
to advise with in regard of ministerial matters in town," 
and the preliminaries were duly arranged. A council was 
held on January 6, 1792, at the house of Benjamin Wiggin, 
being composed of the pastors and delegates of the churches 
in Medway, Mass., Warner, Newburyport, Mass., Concord, 
Pembroke, and Goffstown, the Rev. David Sanford, of Med- 
way, being selected as moderator. After deliberation, the 
council advised that the relation of the Rev. Jacob Cram 
as pastor of the church and town be dissolved, upon con- 
dition that the minister's salary be paid and all differences 
between him and them be consigned to oblivion. On the 
same day, in fulfillment of the advice of the council, the 
formal concession of the church was expressed as follows, 
according to an attested copy of the record: 

At a meeting of the Church of Christ in Hopkinton the Sixth day 
ofJanyl792: 

1 Voted according to the advice of the Council now seting in 
town that the Pastoral Relation between the Revd Jaiob Cram and 
the Church be Dissolved this Day. 

2nd Voted to Recommend in the most affectionate manner the 
Revd Jaiob Cram to the Churches of Christ wherever god in his 
j vidence shall call him to Preach the Gospel. 

3rd Voted the following Recommendation namely We chearfully 
recommend the Reverend Jaiob Cram as a pious godly Minister of 
Jesus Christ in gospel standing with this and the sister Churches in 
the neighborhood and we most affectionately pray that the great 
head of the Church may Richly furnish him with every gift and 
grace and bless his labours to the Salvation of many Souls ready to 
to perish. 

Signed by the Church Committee. 
Enoch Long 
Jotham How 
Abel Kimball 
Jonathan Herrick junr 
Samuel Farrington 

The town of Hopkinton seems to have been as acquies- 
cent as the church in regard to the expressed mind of the 
council, for on the 16th of the following February, a vote 
was passed " to raise all the money that is due to Mr. 



Committee 

of 

Hopkinton 

Church. 



SECTARIAN TOWN-MEETINGS. 83 

Cram ;" and on October 7, 1793, the town voted to abate 
for Capt. Stephen Harriman and seventy-one others the 
" ministerial taxes that standeth against them in the several 
constables rate lists in town for the years 1789, 1790, 1791 
and 1792." Other abatements were voted later. 

We have already said that the controversy in fact or 
result dragged along. As late as August 24, 1795, the fol- 
lowing act, relating to the old ministerial trouble was 
passed : 

Voted that the Selectmen Shall take as much of the ministerial 
money Which was left of Paying the Revd Jacob Cram as Will 
Pay the men in Town that has Paid money for to pay Mr Cram So 
that he might be Settled With more than they Ware taxed to Said 
ministerial Tax and pay the Same to Said men. 

We have mentioned the fact that suits in law were 
brought against the town during the progress of this con- 
troversy. On August 30, 1790, Capt. Philip Greeley was 
chosen an agent to defend the suit of Capt. Stephen Har- 
riman. On November 21, 1791, the town passed the fol- 
lowing act : 

Voted to Rule out all the Law Suts that is brought against the 
Town in Regard of Ministerial Rates Captain Herriman rar Samuel 
Hoyt mr Jonathan Gordon & mr Jacob Hoyt. 

The above suits were probably for the recovery of dam- 
age for distraints for ministerial taxes. 

It appears that Amos Gordon and Jacob Sibley were at 
one time granted an execution against the town selectmen 
of 1789. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

SECTARIAN TOWN-MEETINGS. 

In the last chapter, we spoke of the legal obligation of 
the town of Hopkinton to support a "learned and orthodox 
minister." The incidental existence of a ministerial tax- 
rate was also mentioned. We farther explained a general 
cause of difficulty in collecting the ministerial taxes. We 
now propose to be more specific in statement. 

When New Hampshire ceased to be a British province 



84 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

and became an American state, the obligation to support a 
minister in each town was continued. However, when a 
state constitution became effective, all denominations of 
Christians were accorded equal protection under the law. 
From a spirit of liberality, formulated in the constitution 
and enacted in popular law, legally organized societies of 
Christians, not of Calvinistic Congregational confession, 
were not only tolerated, but their regularly constituted 
members were exempt from contributing to the support of 
a minister other than the one of their individual choice. 
Persons not regularly identified with any other Christian 
society were considered as under legal obligation to sup- 
port the Congregational minister of the town and were 
taxed accordingly. 

The divided condition of religious matters in Hopkinton 
engendered so much controversial difficulty that a peculiar 
scheme arose among the adherents and supporters of the 
legal church. They, in part, appear to have adopted the 
conclusion that, if they could not tax the adherents of free 
religious societies, they could at least tax themselves. 
However, in attempting to ultimate their conclusion, they 
fell into a legal delusion, of which they, as a whole, appear 
to have become at length convinced. The mistake made 
was the result of thinking that a portion of a town, called 
together for the purpose, could legally effect, in the name 
of the town, a measure that was of partial operation. The 
experiment was twice tried. The following is a record of 
the first attempt : 

State of ) To Jonathan Judkins Constable in and 

New Hampshire > for Hopkinton in the County aforesaid : 
Hillsborough, ss : ) Greeting — 

[Seal.] In the Name of the State of New Hampshire you are 
hereby Required to Notify and Warn all the Congregational Inhab- 
itants of Said Town that are Qualified by law to Vote in Town 
affairs to meet at the Easterly meeting house in Said Town on Mon- 
day the Twentieth Day of July Current at three O'Clock in the 
afternoon to act on the following articles (Viz) : first : To Choose 
a moderator to Govern Said Meeting. 

21y. To See What Sum of money they Will Vote to Raise by a 
Tax or Subscription on Said Inhabitants to hire a Congregational 
preacher or preachers of the Gospel the Current year. 
31y. To Cboose Assessors to assess ministerial Taxes. 
41y. To Choose a Collector or Collectors to Collect Ministerial 
Taxes. 



SECTARIAN TOWN-MEETINGS. 85 

Sly. To Choose a Committee to hire a Congregational preacher 
or preachers of the Gospel to Supply pulpit. Hereof fail Not, and 
Make Due Return of this Warrant at the place and at the hour for 
holding Said meeting With your Doings therein to the Town Clerk 
or in his absence to any one of the Selectmen. — Given under our 
hands and Seal this fourth Day of July Anno Domini on Thousand 
Seven hundred and Ninety five. 

Aaron Greeley ) Selectmen 
Timothy Darling >• for 

Joshua Morse ) Hopkinton. 

State of ) Hopkinton July 20th 1795. 

New Hampshire > In obedience to the Within 

Hillsborough ss : ) Warrant I have Duly No- 

tified and Warned all the Congregational Inbabitants of Said Town 
Qualified by law to Vote in Town affairs to meet at Time and place 
and for the purposes Directed in Said Warrant by Posting up a 
True and an attested Copy of Said Warrant at the Easterly Meet- 
ing bouse in Said Town fifteen Days before the Day of holding 
Said meeting. 

( Constable 
Jonathan Judkins ■< for 

( Hopkinton. 

Reed July 20th 1795 Recorded and Examined by 

Aaron Greeley Town Clerk. 

The Proceedings of the Congregational inhabitants of Hopkin- 
ton at their Meeting Called and held at the Easterly Meeting house 
in Said Town on Monday the twentieth Day July Anno Domini 
1795 at three O'Clock in the afternoon. 

1st. Voted Joshua Morse Esqr Moderator to Govern Said meet- 
ing. 

21y. Voted to Raise Sixty Dollars for the Support of the Congre- 
gational ministry Immediately appeared Col. Philip Greeley, John 
Gage, Col. Joshua Bailey, Jeremiah Story Jr, Nathan Story, Joseph 
Story Jr, Isaac Bailey, Jonathan Herrick, Enoch Long Jr, Moses 
Emerson, Anthony Colby, Nathaniel Clement, Lt. Jotham How 
Gideon Gould, Lt. Samuel Farrington, Jotham How Jr, Daniel 
Allen, Benjamin Swain, John Hoyt Jr, Moses Hoyt, Enoch Long, 
Enoch Hoyt, John Boyenton, Peter Darling, Nathaniel Colby, 
David Colby, Moses Smith, Levi Hildreth, and Entred their De- 
sent against Said meeting as an Illegall Meeting. 

31y. Voted to Pass over the third and fourth articles in the War- 
rant. 

41y. Voted Messieurs John Jewett, Joshua Morse and Thomas 
Bailey be a Committee to lay out Said Sixty Dollars in hiring a 
Congregational Preacher or Preachers of the Gospel. 



86 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

51y. Voted that the Westerly End of the Town Shall have as 
much Preaching at the Westerly meeting house as What money 
they Pays Comes to. 

Then the moderator Desolved Said meeting. 

Attest. Aaron Greely Town Clerk. 

The reader will observe that the foregoing warrant called 
the meeting of the Congregational inhabitants at the "east- 
erly" meeting-house. The term "easterly," applied to the 
meeting-house, was not used in a call for a town-meeting 
before 1795. Hence it appears that a second or "westerly" 
meeting-house had at that time been recently erected. The 
westerly meeting-house stood at what is now sometimes 
called Campbell's corner, at the junction of a number of 
roads on Emerson's hill, where now lives Henry E. Dow. 
Worship, according to the Congregational order, was con- 
ducted at the westerly meeting-house with more or less 
regularity for an indefinite number of years. 

There was an interval of over two years before a sec- 
ond sectarian town-meeting was held in Hopkinton. The 
following is the record of the call and proceedings : 

State of ) To Jonathan Judkins Con- 

New Hampshire >• stable in and for Hopkinton 
Hillsborough ss : ) in the County aforesaid : 

[Seal] In the Name of the State of New Hampshire you are 
hereby Required to Notify and Warn all the Congregational Inhab- 
itants of Said Town that are Qualified by law to Vote in Town 
affairs to meet at the Easterly meeting house in Said Town on Mon- 
day the twenty first Day of August Current at three O'Clock in the 
afternoon to act on the following articles, Viz : 

1st. To Choose a Moderator to Govern Said meeting. 

21y. To See What Sums of money they Will Raise to Support the 
Congregational ministry in Town the Remainder of the year. 

31y. To See if they Will Vote the ministerial Committee Shall 
Imploy the Revd Christopher Paige to Preach in Town in Case 
provision is made for that purpose. Hereof fail Not and make 
Due Return of this Warrant at the place and at the hour for hold- 
ing Said meeting With your Doings thereon to the Town Clerk or 
in his absence to any one of the Selectmen, — Given under our hands 
and Seal at Hopkinton aforesaid this third Day of August Anno 
Domini one thousand Seven hundred and Ninety Seven. 

Aaron Greeley ) 
Henry Blake >- Selectmen- 
David Fowler ) 



THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 87 

State of ) Hopkinton, August 21th 1797. 

New Hampshire >- 

Hillsborough ss : ) In Obedience to the With- 

in Warrant I have Duly Notified and Warned all the Congrega- 
tional Inhabitants of Said town to meet at time and place and for 
the purposes Directed in Said Warrant by posting up a true and an 
attested Copy of Said Warrant at the Easterly meeting house in 
Said Town in the Most Noted place fifteen Days before the Day of 
holding Said Meeting. 

( Constable 
Jonathan Judkins < for 

( Hopkinton. 
Reed August 21st 1797 Recorded and Examd : by Aaron 
Greeley Town Clerk. 

The Proceedings of the Congregational Inhabitants of Hopkin- 
ton at their meeting held at the Easterly Meeting house in Said 
Town on Monday the twenty first Day of August Anno Domini 
1797 at three O'Clock in the afternoon : 

1st Chose Joshua Morse Esqr Moderator to Govern Said meet- 
ing. 

21y. Voted Not to Proceed on the Warrant. 

Then the Moderator adjourned Said Meeting Without Day. 

Attest Aaron Greeley Town Clerk. 

The prompt action of this meeting in refusing to act 
under the warrant indicates a general conviction of the 
illegal character of the assembly. The proposition to hold 
Congregational town-meetings was not unanimously upheld 
by the Congregationalists. In the list of dissenters from 
the action in favor of raising money on the 20th of July, 
1795, are strict orthodox names. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 

In a previous chapter we have mentioned the organiza- 
tion of Hillsborough county, of which Hopkinton became 
a part. In the progress of civilized settlements northwardly 
from the southern portion of New Hampshire, the county 
of Hillsborough eventually contained the following towns, 
which were included in Merrimack county at its incorpora- 
tion in 1823 : Andover, Bradford, Boscawen (including 



88 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Webster), Dunbarton, Henniker, Hooksett, Hopkinton, 
Newbury, New London, Salisbury, Sutton, Warner, and 
Wilmot. Andover and Salisbury included portions of the 
present town of Franklin. The town of Amherst being at 
first the shire-town, its position in the southern part of 
Hillsborough county at length incurred great inconvenience 
to many people desiring to visit the town on county busi- 
ness. This was the condition of things on November 30, 
1787, when the town of Hopkinton passed the following 
act: 

Voted that our Representative Should use his influanc in the 
General Court that if theare is any thing Dun Relitive to the Court 
Hous heing Removed from Amherst that it Should Stand as near 
the Senter of the County as is Convenant. 

The difficulties incident to the location of the county- 
seat eventually resulted in the selection of a new shire- 
town, which was to be one of two places for conducting the 
county business. An act of the New Hampshire legis- 
lature, approved December 25, 1792, provided that the May 
term of the Superior Court, and the September and Decem- 
ber terms of the Court of Common Pleas and General 
Court of Sessions, held annually at Amherst, should there- 
after be held at Hopkinton. This provision stipulated that 
the place of holding the courts in Hopkinton should be in 
or as near the meeting-house as practicable, and the state 
act was to be null and void if within two years the town of 
Hopkinton did not provide a court-house without expense 
to the county. 

The conditions of the above act, so far as they related to 
the obligation of Hopkinton to build a court-house, appear 
to have been fulfilled ; but the construction of the edifice 
seems to have been at first the product of private enter- 
prise. The site was the same as that of the present town- 
house. The land was given for the purpose by Benjamin 
Wiggin. The circumstances of the erection of the county- 
house are inferred from the following acts of the town of 
Hopkinton, March 8, 1796 : 

Voted to Take the Court house that is in Town and finish it. — 
Provide the Present Proprietors of Said house Will Give their 
Right to the house up to the County and Town and the land it 
Stands on Immediately appeared Lt Joseph Hastings and Entred 
his Desent against the last Vote. 



THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 89 

Voted to Choose a Committee of three to Settle With the Pro- 
prietors of Said Court house and take Security of them for the 
Same and for the land that Was approprated for it and finish Said 
house. 

Chose Messieus Jonathan Chase Philip Greeley and Stephen Her- 
riman be Said Committee to take Security and finish Said Court 
house as aforesaid. 

An the 1 9th of the next April, the town voted $375 for 
the completion of the court-house. This edifice, as thus 
completed, had two stories, the lower having two rooms and 
the upper only one. It was about two thirds as long as 
the present town-house, and of corresponding width. On 
the lower floor were two jury rooms. On the upper was 
the court-room, with judge's bench of semi-circular arrange- 
ment in the middle of the west end, flanked by a wall-seat 
on each side. On the opposite end, and also on the two 
sides, were three rows of seats. In the centre was the bar — 
a semi-circular arrangement, with railing and two rows of 
seats. In opposite and prominent positions in the eastern 
part of the room were two sheriff's or prisoner's boxes; 
there was also another, as well as a fireplace, on the north 
side. In anticipation of accommodating the New Hamp- 
shire legislature, which met here in 1798, and also in 1801, 
1806, and 1807, an addition was made to the court-house, 
extending the structure, in the easterly direction. By this 
arrangement, an entrance was allowed in front, opening 
into a hallway or waiting-room, occupying the whole space 
of the addition, furnished with a simple encompassing wall- 
seat. Passing north, one came to a broad flight of stairs, 
which turned to the left twice and terminated in a narrow 
hall on the second story. East of this hall was the senate 
chamber, containing the president's seat in the middle of 
the south side, and a plain wall-seat around the apartment. 

Town-meeting was first held in the new court- and town- 
house on March 4, 1799. A meeting called at the easterly 
meeting-house passed the following act, apparently just 
before noon : 

Voted to adjourn Said Meeting to the upper Part of the Town- 
house in Said Town to meet at that Place again in one hour. 

Meetings were subsequently called at the town-house, 
and on August 6, 1799, the following act was passed : 



90 LIFE AND TIMES IN" HOPKINTON. 

Voted that the Town meetings be Notified in future at the Town- 
house. 

Incidentally upon the erection of Hopkinton into a half 
shire-town of Hillsborough county, a local jail was con- 
structed. This penal institution was subsequently trans- 
ferred to Merrimack, on the formation of that county in 
1823. The jail was identical with the present residence of 
Benjamin O. Kimball, situated a few rods out of the village 
on the South road. The outward aspect of the building is 
to-day substantially unchanged. The apartments of the 
edifice devoted to the purposes of a county prison have 
been reconstructed. The proper prison was on the back 
part of the lower floor, and extended the whole length of 
the building, being divided mainly into two rough but 
strong apartments, which were reached by doors leading 
from a long, narrow hall. Near the partition was the small, 
square dungeon. Here, in one or all apartments, prisoners 
were confined until the year 1852, when the new county 
jail was built in Concord. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1784 TO 1799. 

A matter of adjustment during the period from 1781 to 
1799 resulted from the Revolutionary War. The war 
rates were a subject of record as late as 1788, when, on the 
14th of January, the town voted that every person who 
had hired soldiers during the war should make a return to 
the selectmen. It appears that, sometime after the Revo- 
lution, there were soldiers holding the securities of the 
town for the payment of their services. To some of these 
the town offered three quarters of the face of the securi- 
ties, but on the 1st day of June, 1784, John Scales Farn- 
ham and John Eastman were publicly refused any more 
pay than what they had received. On the 27th of April, 
1786, the town publicly refused to make additional pay- 
ment to Esquire Farnum and Benjamin Creassy. It ap- 
pears that Creassy afterwards began a suit against the 
town, and, on the 4th of June, 1787, Joshua Bailey was. 
chosen an agent to contest it. 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1784 TO 1799. 91 

A resulting incident of the Revolution occurred on the 
13th of November, 1786, when* the town voted to pay for 
the guns that were lost in the year 1775,. or return others 
equally good. 

After the Revolution, a militia system was maintained 
upon substantially the same basis as that described in a 
previous chapter. On the 8th of December, 1794, the 
town voted eight dollars a month, in addition to the 
amount given by congress, to minute men, when called 
into actual service, and one dollar as a bounty to each one 
when enlisted. On the 8th of January, 1798, the town 
voted minute men twenty shillings a month, and two dol- 
lars as bounty, upon similar circumstances as before, while 
militia captains were assured six gallons of rum to distrib- 
ute among minute men in demand by national authority. 
During this period, in consequence of the war existing be- 
tween England and France, the peace of the United States 
was threatened, but it was secured by the skill of our gov- 
ernment. 

In promotion of the military interests of the town, a 
training field was laid out on Putney's hill in very early 
times. The training field was located opposite the lot in- 
tended for a meeting-house, as located by the vote of the 
town in 1765, at the annual meeting, on the easterly side 
of the highway. We do not know positively how long the 
training field was in actual use, but, on the 7th of Novem- 
ber, 1796, the town voted to lease it for 999 years. 

Turning from military to civil affairs, we note the public 
action of the town in reference to the constitutional con- 
vention which evolved the amended state compact of 1792. 
On the 8th of August, 1791, Esquire Greeley was chosen a 
delegate to the convention ; but the amended constitution 
was rejected by the town on the 7th of August, 1792, there 
being twenty-two votes recorded against it and none in its 
favor. It is noticeable that on the 7th of May, 1792, the 
town " took under consideration " the amended constitu- 
tion, and, on the 21st of the same month " resumed the 
consideration " of the same ; but the clerk's record is so 
incompletely expressed that one can derive no knowledge 
of the result. 

Subsequently to the dismissal of the Rev. Jacob Cram, 
there was no minister settled in town during the period 
under consideration. The Rev. Christopher Paige received 



92 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPEIINTON. 

a call on the 9th of July, 1787, and was a ministerial sup- 
ply a large portion of the •time. On March 8, 1796, the 
town chose Thomas Bailey, Joshua Morse, and John Jewett 
a committee to employ a minister, and authorized them to 
employ the Rev. Mr. Paige three months. On the 8th of 
the next September, a vote was passed raising $100 for the 
support of preaching for the balance of the year, and the 
Rev. Mr. Paige was to be employed till the money was 
expended. 

On the 25th of March, 1799, the town voted to lay a 
ministerial tax on the Congregational inhabitants at the 
rate of twenty cents upon each poll, and upon all ratable 
estate in the same proportion, such inhabitants to be ascer- 
tained by their individual consent to the selectmen. 

In a previous chapter, we have described the obligation 
of the town at settlement to devote a tract of land to min- 
isterial uses. The parsonage lot was laid out by due boun- 
daries, but never was of the public service at first antici- 
pated, though it was not wholly without profit. At length 
it became a kind of public incumbrance, and its disposal 
was a matter of public consideration. On the 8th of 
March, 1796, the town, not having legal power to sell it, 
voted to lease the parsonage land " as long as wood shall 
grow and water run." This act seems not to have been 
effective, and apparently for the exact limitation of the 
time of the lease, a second vote, on the 13th of March, 
1798, provided for a lease for the term of 999 years. The 
interest of the money accruing from the lease was for many 
years divided pro rata among the different religious socie- 
ties in town. 

Steady progress appears to have been made in the sup- 
port and development of public schools during this period. 
In the year 1789, the state legislature passed an act fixing 
the amount that towns should be legally required to raise 
for the support of popular education. The rate of appor- 
tionment was one pound for every four pounds of the pub- 
lic taxes assessed upon each town by the state. The rec- 
ords of Hopkinton do not indicate that the popular vote 
to raise money for schools was directly affected by this 
law. Sums varying from fifty pounds to $335 were raised 
for schools during the time under discussion. The method 
of using the school-money is somewhat obscurely deter- 
mined. At the annual town-meeting in 1792, it was voted 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1784 TO 1799. 93 

that there should be no method of distributing the school- 
money other than that "usual in town for some years 
last past." In 1794, the selectmen were authorized to 
distribute the money among the districts according to 
the scholars from three to twenty-one years of age in each. 
In 1795 it was voted that a committee from each district 
should draw its money from the selectmen, each commit- 
tee to consist of three persons. In 1797,^ the town voted 
to go back to the method employed prior to the year 1784, 
and distribute the school-money according to the rate of 
taxation for schools. In 1798, the method was to be that 
of 179G, which was the same as that of the previous year. 
In 1799, the division according to scholars from three to 
twenty-one years of age was readopted. 

There is little or no suggestion of the progress made in 
the erection of school-houses during this period, but the 
following act of August 26, 1799, is not without interest : 

Voted that the School he kept in the Townhouse Provided the 
Committee that imploys the School Master makes the house Good 
if it is Damaged. 

The school lot, or right, laid out according to the condi- 
tion of the settlement of the town, shared the same fate as. 
the parsonage land. Not subserving the use expected, or 
being of only partial profit, it was leased for the term of 
999 years, agreeably to a vote of the town, passed March 
20, 1786. The interest of the money accruing from the 
lease was for many years divided among the different 
schools of the town, as was the fund raised for the same 
purpose. 

Considerable attention was paid to the construction of 
important bridges during the time under consideration. 
On the 30th day of August, 1790, the town voted to repair 
the bridge near Esquire Poor's. Esquire Poor seems to 
have been Eliphalet Poor, who was instrumental in the 
construction of a bridge across the Contoocook river at a 
j x lint just above the present dam at the village of Contoo- 
cook, the southerly extremity of the bridge being not far 
from the present residence of Jeremiah S. Webber. Eliph- 
alet Poor appears to have been in town as early as 1787. 
On the 7th of May, 1792, the town voted to repair the 
"great" bridges over the Contoocook river near Esquire 
Cross's and Esquire Poor's. The bridge near Esquire 



94 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Cross's was doubtless at the first ferry-site across the river, 
of which we have already described the location. On the 
11th of December, 1794, the town voted to build a bridge 
across Contoocook river on the falls a little below Poor's 
bridge, so called, Moses Hill, Abraham Kimball, Joseph 
Hastings, Jeremiah Emerson, and Jonathan Quimby being 
chosen a committee to effect the work, Moses Hill being 
the chairman. This bridge was doubtless on the site of 
the present Contoocook highwaj'- bridge. On March 3, 
1795, further action was taken in regard to the proposed 
new bridge, among the provisions being that each man that 
worked on it should have one gill of rum a day. On the 
1st day of the next September, the town voted to u set up 
the bridge at public vendue," in prospect of its erection, 
and on the 19th of April, 1796, to raise $367 to pay for it. 

It appears that there was a bridge over Contoocook river 
at West Hopkinton as early as 1793, being located a little 
below Abraham Rowell's. On the 10th of April, 1797, the 
town voted fifty days' work to repair Tyler's bridge, so 
called, and the bridge over the Blackwater. 

Such evidence as we can obtain indicates that, at first, 
many bridges were built in town through the directing 
labor of the surveyors of highways. The selectmen some- 
times called the surveyors to their aid in the construction 
of bridges, and the expense was often cancelled by^ the reg- 
ular highway tax. This is doubtless a reason why the 
early town records give such meagre accounts of the con- 
struction of the first bridges. 

There were other events of greater or less importance 
during this period, and we recount some of them in chrono- 
logical order. On the 14th of March, 1785, the town 
voted to exempt from paying poll tax all persons above 
70 years of age. The Rev. Elijah Fletcher having been 
buried at the expense of the town, the selectmen's bill of 
£7 „ 11 „ 7 „ 2 was accepted on the 27th of April, 1786. 
On the 21st of August following, a vote favoring a state 
bank was passed ; but a contrary vote, in view of the plan 
proposed by the court, was passed on the 13th of the next 
November. On the 4th of June, 1787, the town voted to 
dispose of all its paper money. On the 14th of January, 
1788, Lieutenant Morse was chosen a delegate to the 
United States Constitutional Convention, with special in- 
struction to reject the constitution ; but the town after- 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1784 TO 1799. 95 

wards conceded him liberty to act as he thought best. On 
the 9th of November, 1789, Colonel Bailey, Captain Chase, 
and Lieutenant Morse were selected to meet in convention 
at Concord, to consider the towns to be erected into a new 
county. On the 30th of May, 1791, the town voted to 
petition the General Court to legalize all the town-meet- 
ings already called by the selectmen. On the 7th of May, 
1792, the town voted to build a pound on Capt. Thomas 
Bailey's land, u nigh where his old house stood," said 
pound to be 30 feet square within, 8 feet high, and built 
with round pine logs, the gate and its posts to be of white 
oak, the hinges of iron, and provided with a good lock. 
A warrant for a town-meeting on the 7th of August, 1792, 
was the first one recorded with the place of the seal indi- 
cated. The same year the small-pox prevailed in town ; 
but, on the 20th of September, the town voted to reject the 
proposition to build a pest-house. In 1793, March 4, the 
town voted that swine might run at large without being 
yoked, if no damage was done. On March 8, 1796, the 
selectmen were authorized to repair the cemetery fence 
near the court-house, and set the part next the highway 
as they thought best. On the 13th of March, 1798, the 
selectmen were authorized to provide scale beams, steel- 
yards, weights and measures for the town, and of such 
material as they saw fit. The same day domestic animals 
were prohibited from running at large within a half mile 
of the town-house, under penalty of one dollar for a swine, 
twenty-five cents for a sheep, and $1.25 for a neat creature, 
unless it should appear that the estray was by accident. 
The same day a bounty of six pence a head for crows was 
authorized. On the 27th day of August, 1798, the select- 
men were authorized to repair the cemetery fence on Put- 
ney's hill, and cut up the intruding bushes. On March 20, 
1799, William Tyler, a poor person, was set up in town- 
meeting and vendued to bidders for maintenance, Benja- 
min Titcomb taking him at five shillings a week. The 
same day the town voted to buy a pall or funeral cloth. 
On the 18th day of the next November, the selectmen were 
authorized to repair the guide-posts in town. 



96 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE BEGINNING OF A NEW CENTTTKY. 

In previous chapters of this volume, we have given atten- 
tion to certain major and minor affairs in the town of Hop- 
kinton from the inception of the township till 1799. We 
now enter upon a series of events dating from the first year 
of a new century. It is therefore proper to consider the 
general aspect of local affairs at the pivotal year of 1800. 

Since the original grant of the township, the population 
had greatly increased. Sixty proprietors of Number Five 
had given place to over 2,000 inhabitants of Hopkinton. 
To be more exact in statement, we present the following 
results of different censuses already taken: 1767, 473 ; 
1773, 943; 1775, 1,085; 1783,1,488; 1786, 1,537; 1790, 
1,715 ; 1800, 2,015. This relatively steady increase in pop- 
ulation marked a period of growth in numbers that contin- 
ued till about 1830. We will attempt to describe in brief 
the causes of this prosperity. 

The reader recollects that in a previous chapter we men- 
tioned the existence of a comparative wilderness north of 
the latitude of Hopkinton and south of the boundary of 
Canada. This vast extent of wild country was destined to 
become the abode of civilization. As more northerly set- 
tlements began in New Hampshire, the southern frontier 
towns became the depot of all kinds of domestic supplies, 
their wholesale and retail trade receiving a prosperous im- 
petus. Thus Hopkinton became the centre of a traffic that 
encouraged population and wealth. More than this, Hop- 
kinton was for many years a prominent station on a direct 
line of travel between Boston and Montreal. The elevation 
of Hopkinton to the position of a half-shire town of Hills- 
borough county gave a special impulse to prosperity, bring- 
ing hither courts, judges, lawyers, county officials of vari- 
ous grades, and all the assemblage of clients and attendants 
at the different sessions of county judicature. The General 
Court of New Hampshire, meeting at Hopkinton four times 
about the time under direct consideration, occasioned the 
temporary advent of state officials and other influential 
persons, and aided eminently the social distinction of the 
town. 

In 1800, the territory of Hopkinton was largely appropri- 



M^ 



/ 



I 



- 




Hon. John Burnham. 



THE BEGINNING OF A NEW CENTURY. 97 

ated by thrifty farms. The hills and vales were scenes of 
prosperous rural industry, while flocks and herds of thou- 
sands of sheep and cattle roamed in fertile pastures, or were 
sheltered in the commodious barns of their owners. There 
were various mills and manufactories upon the important 
streams in the town, while shops of different sorts were 
located in the numerous districts in the township. The 
village of Hopkinton at this time was probably not far from 
its present extent, though the number of edifices was per- 
haps somewhat less. From the village square, roads led 
outward in all directions as now, excepting that the pres- 
ent direct highway to Contoocook had not been opened be- 
tween the village and Putney's hill. The prohibition of 
estrays within a half-mile of the town-house, mentioned in 
the previous chapter, suggests the probable size of the vil- 
lage itself. 

There were three meeting-houses in Hopkinton in 1800. 
Besides the easterly and westerly Congregational meeting- 
houses, there was a Baptist meeting-house at the junction 
of several roads at a point about a mile south-west of the 
village, on the corner northerly opposite the present resi- 
dence of George W. French. There appears to have been 
at first but one resident minister, the Rev. Christopher 
Paige. 

The number of legal professional residents in town ap- 
pears to have been two. They were Baruch Chase and John 
Harris, and they both lived in Hopkinton village. 

There appear to have been five physicians in town in 
1800. They were John Clement, John Currier, Stephen 
Currier, Edmund Currier, and Ebenezer Lerned, all of 
whom probably lived at or near the village except Dr. 
Clement, who lived on Putney's hill, and Dr. Edmund Cur- 
rier, who lived in the west part of the town. 

There were at least two taverns in Hopkinton village in 
1800. They were the Babson tavern and the Wiggin tav- 
ern, already mentioned in the progress of this work. The- 
ophilus Stanley kept a tavern in earlier times where now 
live Mrs. Seth E. Brown and the Misses Frye, and he may 
have done so at the time under discussion. 

In 1800, the following persons were taxed for mills in 
Hopkinton : Dea. John Currier, Richard Carr Rogers, Jo- 
seph Towne, Mark Morrill, Simeon Dow, Jr., Jeremiah 
Emerson, Esq., Bodwell Emerson, Moses Hills, and Joseph 
7 



98 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Peters. Dea. John Currier's mill was on Paul brook, in 
the present Stumpfield district; Joseph Towne, Simeon 
Dow, Jr., and Moses Hills were located in business at Con- 
toocook, which was then little more than a location of a 
water-power. Jeremiah and Bodwell Emerson did busi- 
ness at West Hopkinton. Mark Morrill's mill was on Dol- 
lofPs brook, about a mile below the village. 

The following parties were taxed for stock in trade in 
1800 : Reuben French, Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, Lieut. The- 
ophilus Stanley, Towne and Ballard, Samuel G. Towne, 
Joshua Bailey, Esq., Samuel Darling, Jonathan Judkins, 
Isaac Long, Daniel Moore, Nathaniel Proctor, Silas Thayer, 
and David Young. These parties were not all merchants, 
but some were proprietors of shops of miscellaneous kinds. 
Theophilus Stanley conducted a tannery just east of the 
village, by the present Mills' brook. Reuben French, Eb- 
enezer Lerned, Towne and Ballard, Samuel G. Towne, and 
others were village merchants. Isaac Long was a book- 
binder and bookseller. 

Towne and Ballard are also said to have had a store in 
Contoocook in earlier times. Silas Thayer appears to have 
been a Contoocook blacksmith. 

David Young was a cabinet-maker who lived in the pres- 
ent Gage district at the southern slope of Putney's hill. 

At the time of which we speak, Hopkinton was visited 
daily by stages coursing the great northern and southern 
line of travel which we have just mentioned. There were 
doubtless regular lines of public communication in other 
directions, for, as we have seen, the public importance of 
Hopkinton attracted the attention of people in all parts of 
the state. 

Thus a new century dawned in Hopkinton, a centre of 
political, social, and business enterprise. Other references 
to the prosperity of the town will occur in subsequent 
chapters. 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1800 TO 1804. 99 

CHAPTER XXV. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1800 TO 1804. 

In the previous chapter, we said that there appeared to 
be at first but one resident minister in town in 1800. Dur- 
ing the year, a minister was called and installed. On the 
3d of February of that year, the town voted to call the 
Rev. Ethan Smith, who was to have a salary of $400 a year 
so long as a majority of the Congregational inhabitants of 
the town should agree in respect to him, he being willing 
to continue the pastor, the perquisites of the ministry in- 
cluding the interest of the parsonage money. Jonathan 
Chase, Moody Smith, Benjamin Wiggin, Aaron Greeley, 
Joshua Morse, Philip Greeley, Jotham Howe, Jeremiah 
Emerson, John Silver, Isaac Chandler, and Ezekiel Knowl- 
ton were chosen a committee to wait upon the Rev. Mr. 
Smith and inform him of the action of the meeting. On 
the 24th of the same month, the first action was somewhat 
modified b} r reconsideration. The town voted to pay the 
Rev. Mr. Smith just $400 yearly. A new committee, con- 
sisting of Ezekiel Knowlton, Jonathan Chase, Thomas Bai- 
ley, Moses Long, Enoch Long, Nathan Sargent, Aaron 
Greeley, Philip Greeley, Joshua Bailey, Timothy Darling, 
Joshua Morse, Hemy Blake, Benjamin Wiggin, Daniel 
Flanders, Jonathan Herrick, and John Currier, 3d, was 
selected to impart to the reverend gentleman the knowl- 
edge of this transaction. It appears that the Rev. Mr. 
Smith accepted the terms, for, after an adjournment of 
half an hour, the town proceeded to take measures antici- 
pative of an " instalment." Philip Greeley, Joshua Morse, 
Thomas Bailey, Timothy Darling, and Moody Smith were 
chosen a committee to perfect the arrangements. . The time 
set for the installation of the Rev. Mr. Smith was Wednes- 
day, the 12th of the following March, and the town was to 
pay the cost of the proceedings. 

On the 10th of March, 1800, the town voted to set up 
the collecting of the Congregational ministerial money to 
the lowest bidder, and Mark Jewett became the collector 
at a salary of $11.75. 

On the 4th of March, 1801, the town voted to raise $460 
for schools, and that each school-district should draw its 

L.ofC. 



100 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

money from the selectmen by a committee chosen in March 
and provided with a certificate of a district clerk contain- 
ing the evidence of the selection of said committee. This 
restriction of the power of a committee was in compliance 
with the law of the state. 

The condition of the town-house was also a subject of 
public consideration on the foregoing 4th of March. It 
appears that Philip Greeley, Timothy Darling, and Theoph- 
ilis Stanley had been selected privately and proposed as a 
committee to improve the town-house for the accommoda- 
tion of the General Court, and without expense to the 
town. The town voted them the proper authority, and 
chose Joshua Morse, Thomas Bailey, and Jonathan Chase 
a public committee to advise with them. The same day 
Benjamin Wiggin was chosen librarian of the books con- 
taining the laws of the United States, with authority to 
loan on Saturday afternoons one volume to each person 
who should apply for it, and grant permission to retain it 
one week only, and demand twenty cents for each week's 
neglect to return it as required. These books, in charge 
of Baruch Chase, may have been the nucleus of the early 
public library mentioned in a subsequent chapter specially 
treating of libraries and kindred subjects. 

The bridges of the town demanded considerable atten- 
tion during the period under consideration. On the 4th of 
March, 1801, the selectmen were authorized to inspect Ty- 
ler's bridge, and make such repairs upon it as they thought 
proper. The next April appears to have been quite an 
eventful one for bridges. There had been a freshet on the 
Contoocook river, or one was certainly anticipated. On 
the 13th day of the month, the town voted the selectmen 
authority to repair Rowell's bridge at West Hopkinton, 
and to secure Hill's bridge at Contoocook, and raise the 
money for the necessary repairs for all three of the bridges 
mentioned. On the 8th of January, 1802, the town voted 
to build a bridge " nigh Tyler's bridge," and granted the 
selectmen authority to fix the place, superintend the erec- 
tion, and construct the convenience as best they could. 
On the 9th day of the following March, the town gave the 
selectmen authority to raise the money for building the 
bridge. 

Among minor acts of this period was the following, 
passed on the 10th of March, 1800 : 



DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL POLITICS. 101 

Voted the Crows heads that are killed in Town Shall be Carryed 
to Either of the Selectmen or Benja. Wiggin Esqr. and Either of 
them that the heads are Carryed to Shall Cut of the bill. 

On the 5th of August, 1800, the town authorized the 
selectmen to repair the fence of the burying-yard "nigh 
Dea. John Currie's saw mill," thus indicating the present 
Stumpfield cemetery. 

In 1804, John Osgood Ballard became town-clerk. This 
fact is of special mention, because he was the first clerk 
to keep the records in an exact and accomplished man- 
ner. Before 1804, all the clerks' records were of such 
execution as to make them more or less difficult of perusal 
and interpretation ; but John Osgood Ballard's records 
were as clear as print. From this date, our minor annals 
become more chronological. 

In the next chapter we shall show how the year 1804 is 
involved in a specially important matter. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL POLITICS. 

In a state of civil liberty, no public question arises with- 
out developing at least two phases of popular thought. We 
have already recounted some of the features of public 
thought in New Hampshire in consequence of the separa- 
tion of the province from the political control of the mother 
country. New Hampshire had an experience in this re- 
spect that was common to all the. new states. Acting in 
unison, the public sentiment of the states illustrated on a 
larger scale the essential ideals of each. 

We need not inform the intelligent reader of the details 
at large of the general controversy arising in this country in 
consequence of the attempt to establish an efficient federal 
government. The Articles of Confederation, deemed too 
lax, were superseded by the Constitution, a more secure 
compact. This done, the minds of men swayed between 
two opinions, relating respectively to the strict and loose 
constructions of the new national instrument. 

. In the early days of the republic, the Republicans were 



102 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the strict, or literal, and the Federals the loose, or liberal, 
interpreters of the Constitution. In the first instance, New 
Hampshire was preeminently a Federal state. However, the 
influential citizens seem at first to have largely monopolized 
national political thought. The masses, for a time, were 
not generally aroused to a lively interest in general, nation- 
al, political questions. This apparent fact explains the very 
limited interest sometimes taken in a presidential vote for 
some years after the government of the United States was 
firmly established. The following act of the town of Hop- 
kinton, on the 15th of December, 1788, illustrates our mean- 
ing : 

Voted for Electors for this State J Bailey E Smith R Wallis 
J Calf & E Tomson Esquires 49 each of them. 

On the 7th of August, 1792, the town voted for presi- 
dential electors. The law requiring six electors, the vote 
stood as follows : Timothy Walker, 22 ; Ebenezer Webster, 
16 ; John Bellows, 16 ; Timothy Farrah, 10 ; Joseph Bad- 
ger, 10 ; Christopher Tappen, 9 ; Jonathan Freeman, 7 ; 
Bezaleel Woodward, 6 ; Abiel Foster, 6 ; James Sheaf, 3 ; 
Robert Wallace, 1 ; General Peabody, 1 ; Judge Cogswell, 
1 ; General Dow, 1 ; Judge Dana, 1 ; John T. Gilman, 1. 

There is plainly no evidence of a strict ballot for six 
electors in the foregoing vote of Hopkinton. On the 12th 
of the next November, in response to a notification to "vote 
legally " for six electors to fill any vacancy in the appoint- 
ment of such officers, the following ballot resulted : Josiah 
Bartlett, 12; John Pickering, 12; John T. Gilman, 12; 
Benjamin Bellows, 12 ; Timothy Farrah, 12 ; Timothy 
Walker, 12. 

On the 7th of November, 1796, the town cast a unani- 
mous ballot of 37 votes for electors of President and Vice- 
President of the United States. In 1800, the electors were 
appointed by the state legislature. In 1804, there was for 
the first time a genuine contest ,at a presidential election in 
Hopkinton. The town-clerk recorded the ballot in the fol- 
lowing manner : 

John Goddard, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. 
Levi Bartlett, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. 
Jonathan Steel, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. 
Robert Alcock, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. 
Timothy Walker, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1804 TO 1811. 103 

George Aldrich, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. 

William Tarlton, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. 

Oliver Peabody, Esq., Seventy Eight. 

John Prentice, Esq., Seventy Eight. 

William Hale, Esq., Seventy Eight. 

Timothy Farrer, Esq., Seventy Eight. 

Robert Wallace, Esq., Seventy Eight. 

Benjamin West, Esq., Seventy Eight. 

Charles Johnson, Esq., Seventy Eight. 

The above vote represents a triumph of the theory of a 
strict construction of the Constitution. The candidates re- 
ceiving the majorhVy of the votes of Hopkinton were sup- 
porters of Thomas Jefferson, a strict constructionist, a 
Republican in distinction from a Federalist. 

Thus we rind the town of Hopkinton politically set upon 
the contested highway of national party controversy. After 
1804, there appears to have been no presidential election 
that witnessed a unanimous ballot in this town. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1804 TO 1811. 

In 1804, in compliance with a new aspect of state law, 
the town of Hopkinton held its annual meeting on the sec- 
ond Tuesday of March. A previous legal condition re- 
quired this meeting to be held on the first Monday of the 
same month. On the second day of town-meeting this year, 
it being March 14, the town voted to divide the interest of 
the parsonage fund among the different religious societies 
according to the polls and estates, the division to be deter- 
mined by the elders or committees of the several societies. 
The town also voted to raise $400 for the support of a min- 
ister, one fourth of the sum to be expended for worship at 
the "upper meeting-house," presumably the westerly meet- 
ing-house. On the 7th of August, Aaron Greeley and 
Enoch Long were chosen a committee to survey and make 
a plan of the township. The selectmen were also authorized 
to procure weights, measures, scale beams, etc., for the use 
of the town, and, on the 5th of November, the same officers 
were instructed to sell the town's powder to the best ad- 



104 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

vantage. At the close of the regular record of the year, we 
find the following descriptive statement of the clerk : 

The town standard as follows, viz. : 

Iron Weights, viz. : 
One, Fifty six — One, Twenty eight ; 
. One, Fourteen & One, Seven Pound. 

Brass Weights, viz. : 
One four pound, one two pound, one of one pound, one of half 
pound, one of a quarter of a pound, one of two ounces, one of one 
ounce, one of half an ounce, and one of a quarter of an ounce. 
Two small scale beams with brass dishes. 
One large scale beam with boards and strung with iron wires. 

Dry Measures of Wood, viz. : 
One half bushel, one peck, one half peck, one two quart, and one 
of one quart. 

Liquid Measures of Copper, viz. : 
One Gallon, one two quart, one quart, one pint, one half pint, and 
one gill. 

The above standard delivered to Benjamin Wiggin, Esq. Novem- 
ber 22d, 1804. 

Attest, John Osgood Ballard. 

Benjamin "Wiggin, to whom the weights, measures, etc., 
were delivered, was the legal sealer of weights and measures 
for the year. 

On the 13th of March, 1805, the selectmen were author- 
ized to procure three stamps, to mark the letter H, of which 
one was to be for the use of the sealer of leather and the 
other two for the sealer of weights and measures. The 
same day the town voted $600 for schools. The selectmen 
were instructed to consider the petition of Jonathan Chase 
and others, and view the situation of Major Darling and 
Lieutenant Farrington in respect to schools, and also view 
Chandler's, Fowler's, Rowell's, and Tyler's districts, and 
report the changes they thought necessary and proper. The 
addition of a piece of land to the village burying-yard was 
voted, and the selectmen authorized to purchase it, adopting 
such measures for fencing the yard by the town as they 
thought best. The selectmen were further authorized to 
purchase a piece of land and build a pound within a 
reasonable distance from the centre of the town, at their 
discretion. This appears to have been the provision for 
the present pound in Hopkinton village, on the road leading 
directly to Putney's hill. 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1804 TO 1811. 105 

It seems that at this time there were niairy outstanding 
minister's taxes in town, and Joshua Morse, Joseph Towne, 
Philip Greeley, Aaron Greeley, Nathaniel Colby, Jeremiah 
Emerson, Ebenezer Lernecl, Moody Smith, Thomas Bailey, 
Thomas Story, and Jonathan Chase were chosen a committee 
to consider and report them. They reported such taxes 
for 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, and 1804, amounting 
to $141.07, of which sum they deemed $83.30 legal taxes 
that ought to be collected. This report was rendered at an 
adjourned meeting on the 21st of March, when it was voted 
that the minister's money should be raised by a tax of 30 
cents on each of the polls of the Congregational inhabitants, 
and upon their estates in proportion, — such inhabitants to be 
determined by their personal acknowledgments to the select- 
men, the money accruing to be devoted to the support of 
the Congregational minister, and the preaching to be at the 
east and west meeting-houses " agreeably to the request 
of the persons taxed and according to the sums they paid." 

On the 29th of August, the selectmen were authorized to 
purchase five acres of land, adjoining the village burying- 
ground, of Major Timothy Darling, at the price of $300, and 
lay out so much of it for burying purposes as they thought 
fit. On the same day, the selectmen were authorized to 
make required alteration in the road from the easterly meet- 
ing-house to Hill's bridge. This act anticipated the present 
portion of highway between Hopkinton village and Contoo- 
cook, extending from the Congregational church to Charles 
Putman's. Before this road was opened, travel from Con- 
toocook to Hopkinton village was diverted from a point 
near Mr. Putman's up the hill to a point near Putney's hill 
cemetery, and thence easterly down a steep hillside, or else 
easterly from Mr. Putman's to a point near Stillman B. 
Gage's, and thence southerly by a now discontinued highway 
to Horace Edmund's. 

In 1806, March 12, the town voted to abate a list of min- 
ister's taxes amounting to $138.82. The minister's tax rate 
was advanced to forty cents on the poll and on other estate 
in the same proportion. On the 22d of May, the select- 
men reported a division of the town into thirteen school- 
districts. This division was somewhat remarkable, being 
made wholly by roads and not by territorial boundaries. 
On the following 27th of October, votes were passed deter- 
mining whose lands should in certain cases be disannexed 



106 LIFE A1STD TIMES EST HOPKl^TON. 

from one district and transferred to another, but without 
bounding the lands. In a similar way, non-residents' lands 
were divided among the majority of the different districts 
for the purpose of taxation. 

On the 11th of March, 1807, a vote was passed authoriz- 
ing " certain persons " to move the easterly meeting-house 
northerly a distance not exceeding twenty rods, paint it, 
put a belfrey upon it, and put a bell in the belfrey, procur- 
ing land conveniently, the whole apparently without ex- 
pense to the town or injury to public or private property. 
Those undertaking this enterprise were to give bonds in the 
sum of ^5,000 to the selectmen as an indemnity. This act 
appears to have located the meeting-house on the spot now 
occupied by the Congregational church. 

On the 25th of the following May, the selectmen were 
authorized to put a stone abutment at the north end of 
Hill's bridge, at Contoocook, and make such other repairs 
as they thought proper. They were also authorized to make 
such repairs upon the town-house as they thought expedient. 

March 8, 1808, the town voted to raise $908 for schools. 
The parsonage money accruing from the interest of the in- 
vested fund was again divided according to the returns of 
the elders or committees of religious societies. 

In 1809, March 14, the selectmen were instructed for the 
time being to pay to a committee of militia officers the inter- 
est of the training-field money, awaiting the further action 
of the town. They were also authorized. to sell the improved 
ground on the lower floor of the easterly meeting-house for 
the purpose of erecting pews, and devote the proceeds to 
painting the house. On the 12th of June, "certain persons" 
were authorized to make a tower, or belfry, on the east 
meeting-house and hang a bell in it. The seats or ground 
" north of the end alleys " were to be sold for the purpose of 
erecting pews. The money accruing, after cancelling the 
expense of painting and pews, was to be devoted to the cost 
of the tower. John Harris, Philip Greeley, and Thomas 
Bailey, were chosen a committee to act with " the committee 
of the persons " who were to undertake the erection of the 
tower. The selectmen were authorized to carry out the 
provisions in regard to the sale of ground for pews. On 
the 3d of July, the vote choosing the cooperating commit- 
tee was rescinded. 

In 1810, on the 13th of March, the selectmen were 



THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND. 107 

authorized to "clear the common land adjoining the easterly- 
meeting-house of all incumbrances with the exception of 
the materials necessary to erect a tower, or belfry, on said 
meeting-house." 

The work anticipated by the foregoing acts in relation to 
a tower, or belfry, was accomplished. A bell was hung in 
it. It is the present bell in the steeple of the Congregational 
church. This bell bears the following inscription : " Revere 
& Son, Boston, 1811." It came from Concord to this town 
by the way of Dimond's hill. At the house of Daniel Chase, 
where now lives Walter F. Hoyt, a pause was made, the 
bell hung between two elm trees, and peals rung for the 
first time in town. This action was a compliment to Mr. 
Chase, on account of his personal aid to the enterprise 
resulting in the bell's purchase. 

In 1811, March 12, the town voted to pass over the arti- 
cle relating to raising money for the Congregational minis- 
ter. In this act, we witness the evidence of a popular dis- 
position that ultimately separated the affairs of church and 
state in New Hampshire. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND. 

The conflict usually called the War of 1812 found, in its 
inception, the people of Hopkinton alert to all the interests 
involved in a national contest. On the 6th of July, 1812, 
the town voted to allow a compensation of seven dollars a 
month to all soldiers detached from their regiments as a re- 
lay corps by order of the government. Ten dollars of each 
man's wages was to be in advance, and two dollars upon 
" signing his name." On the 5th of October, 1814, twelve 
dollars a month was voted to all soldiers put under special 
governmental requisition, with two dollars upon entering 
actual service. The price of a month's wages "included 
the pay given by Government," and the act was to be in 
force only till the next March. The two dollar clause of 
this vote, however, was afterwards rescinded. The act of 
July 6, 1812, was the inciter of an animated discussion. 



108 LIFE AND TIMES EN HOPKINTON. 

Three days after it was passed Joshua Morse addressed a 
long protest to Nathaniel Knowlton, selectman, against the 
payment of the bounty, holding that each captain should 
draft his legal quota without pay. The action of the town, 
he thought, was unconstitutional and illegal. 

During the progress of hostilities, two recruiting officers, 
Gibson and Peck, were stationed for a time at Capt. Bims- 
ley Perkins's tavern while they enlisted men for the army. 
The first volunteers from this town were mostly included in 
the first regiment of New Hampshire troops, enlisted for 
one year, and rendezvousing at Concord. The field and 
staff of this regiment were as follows : Aquila Davis, col- 
onel ; John Carter, lieutenant colonel ; William Bradford , 
major ; James Minot, first lieutenant and adjutant ; Joseph 
Low, second lieutenant and quartermaster ; Henry Lyman, 
acting surgeon's mate ; John Trevitt, acting surgeon's mate ; 
Timothy D. Abbott, sergeant major; Nicholas C. Beane, 
quartermaster sergeant ; Thomas Bailey, drum major ; 
Nehemiah Osgood, fife major. The following members of 
this regiment were from Hopkinton: Thomas Bailey, drum 
major ; under Capt. Joseph Smith, Jeremiah Silver, musi- 
cian, and Charles Colby, Zadoc Dow, Stephen G. Eaton, 
David Hardy, James Hastings, Bichard Hunt, Isaiah Hoyt, 
Moses C. Eaton, Ezra Jewell, John Morrill, Samuel G. Tit- 
comb, privates, all enlisting on the 1st of February, 1813. 

We are indebted to the late John M. Bailey for the fol- 
lowing names of soldiers from Hopkinton in this regiment : 
Moses (?) Eastman, Amri Foster, James Hastings, Samuel 
Straw. These were in Capt. Elisha Smith's company. East- 
man died in the service. 

This regiment went into camp on the 1st of February, 
1813, and left for Burlington early in the spring. On the 
first day of its march, it passed through Hopkinton, halting 
at the lower village for rations. This halt gave many peo- 
ple an opportunity to reflect upon the trials of soldiers. 
Though the troops had marched only seven miles, some 
were already jagged and footsore. 

The first regiment of New Hampshire volunteers was 
soon disbanded. On the 29th of January, 1813, Congress 
repealed the "Volunteer Act," and the soldiers enlisting 
under it were reenlisted into the regular United States 
army, or re-formed into new regiments, to serve till the 
time of their volunteer service expired, or for a longer time. 



THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND. 109 

The soldiers of the first regiment of New Hampshire volun- 
teers who were not reenlisted were consolidated with Col- 
onel McCobb's regiment from Maine, the new organization 
becoming known as the 45th regiment, with field and staff 
officers as follows : Denny McCobb, colonel ; Aquila Davis, 
lieutenant colonel ; H. B. Breevoort, first major ; Daniel 
Baker, second major; Joseph Low, paymaster; Daniel G. 
Kelley, sergeant major. The following Hopkinton men were 
in this regiment: in Capt. Benjamin Bradford's company, 
Isaiah Hoit and Stephen G. Eaton, corporals, enlisted De- 
cember 15, 1813, for one year ; Jonathan Burbank, April 15, 
1814, for the war ; Henry T. Hildreth, January 24, 1814, 
one year ; James A. Hastings, December 15, 1813, one year; 
John Morrill, December 15, 1813, one year ; Benjamin Put- 
ney, February 28, 1814, for the war, and died in service ; Bus- 
well Silver, March 23, 1814, for the war ; Moses Tenney, 
January 24, 1814, one year. The recorded account of enlist- 
ments shows that soldiers of this regiment sometimes renewed 
their membership before their previous obligations had ex- 
pired and for different periods of time, while in other in- 
stances new men were recruited into the ranks. 

The well remembered alarm at Portsmouth in 1814, 
aroused afresh the military spirit of New Hampshire. Dur- 
ing the winter of 1813 and 1814, British vessels of war were 
cruising along the New England coast, while maintaining a 
rendezvous at the Bermuda islands, as well as one at Gardi- 
ner's bay, at the east end of Long Island, their naval depot 
being at Halifax, in Nova Scotia. On the 8th of April, 
1814, a British force ascended the Connecticut river and 
destroyed about twenty American vessels collected there 
for safety. On the 23d of the same month, Admiral Cock- 
burne, who maintained his head-quarters at the Bahamas, 
issued a proclamation declaring the whole Atlantic coast of 
the United States in a state of blockade. Soon after, about 
thirty or forty coasting vessels were destroyed in Massa- 
chusetts bay. These facts spread great alarm, not only 
throughout New England in general, but throughout New 
Hampshire particularly, on account of the insecurity of the 
harbor and the town of Portsmouth and the governmental 
naval station and fort in the vicinity. A detachment of 
eight companies of militia, under the command of Major 
Edward J. Long, was ordered to the defence of Portsmouth. 

Very soon an event occurred, arousing the ardor of the 



110 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

people of New Hampshire to a high pitch. We copy an ac- 
count of the occurrence from the "Annals of Portsmouth," 
"by Nathaniel Adams : 

"Tuesday, June 21st, between the hours of 10 and 11 
o'clock in the evening, the town was alarmed by a report 
that the British were landing at Rye beach. Alarm bells 
were rung and signal guns fired. All the military com- 
panies turned out and prepared for the attack. A martial 
spirit prevaded all ranks, and they glowed with ardor to be 
led to the place of danger. Expresses were dispatched to 
ascertain the situation of the enemy, and the report proved 
to be without foundation. It was occasioned by some boats 
of a suspicious character that were observed off Rye harbor 
by the guard stationed there. The inhabitants again retired 
to enjoy the sweets of repose." 

Although the above affair was only an alarm, there is no 
doubt the British contemplated an attack on the defences 
of Portsmouth, and the destruction of the adjacent navy 
yard at Kittery, Me. Tradition says, that after the close 
of the war a British officer confessed to an American col- 
onel that during the investment of the New England coast 
he ascended the Piscataqua in the disguise of a fisherman 
and inspected the defences of Portsmouth, on his return 
reporting to his commanding officer that the place was 
abundantly defended, and swarmed with soldiers. This 
information doubtless had its influence in diverting the 
British from the proposed attack. 

The popular excitement created by this alarm induced 
the governor of New Hampshire, on the 9th day of Sep- 
tember, to order out detachments from twenty-three regi- 
ments for the stronger defence of Portsmouth. Two days 
later, he issued general orders putting all the militia of the 
state in readiness to march at a moment's notice. The de- 
tachments from the twenty-three regiments were to march 
to Portsmouth immediately. Arrived at its place of desti- 
nation, the detached infantry was organized into a brigade 
of five regiments and one battalion, under the command of 
Brigadier-General John Montgomery, assisted by James I. 
Swan, brigade-major, and George H. Montgomery, aide-de- 
camp. 

The following Hopkinton soldiers of this detachment 
were in the first regiment, Lieut. Col. Nat Fisk, in Capt. 
Jonathan Bean's company : Thomas Towne, first lieutenant, 



w 

CO 
> 

O 

ac 

O 




SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1813 TO 1818. Ill 

acting quartermaster from September 18 ; Moses Gould, 
sergeant ; Robert A. Bradley, Samuel Burbank, Barrack 
Cass, David C. Currier, Amos Eastman, John J. Emer- 
son, Ebenezer Morrill, John Morey, Isaac Pearce, Hazen 
Putney, Jacob Straw, William Wheeler, privates. These 
men were all enlisted for a service of ninety days from 
September 11, 1814. 

The following were in the second regiment, Lieut. Col. 
John Steele, in Capt. Silas Call's company : Nathaniel 
Morgan, sergeant ; Jacob Chase, Amos Frye, John John- 
son, John Hastings, Alvin Hastings, Francis Stanley (died 
in service), James Eastman, Amos Sawyer, Jonathan Gove, 
William M. Crillis, John Burnham, privates. These men 
were all enlisted on the 2d of October, 1814, to dates run- 
ning from November 8 to November 19. None of the men 
ordered to Portsmouth from this town were called into 
any active engagement with the enemy. 

We learn from private authority that Joseph Bickford, of 
Capt. John D. Harty's company, Lieut. Col. Isaac Wal- 
dron's fourth regiment at Portsmouth, was from Hopkin- 
ton. He enlisted September 10, 1814, for eighteen days, as 
a substitute for John Nute. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1813 TO 1818. 

In 1813, on the 9th of March, the selectmen were author- 
ized to make such disposition of the public poor as would 
best promote the interest of town . 

In 1815, March 14, the town voted that the claim of 
Thomas Towne, for money expended while on a march to 
Portsmouth with a detachment of militia, in September, 
1814, be allowed and paid. The amount of the claim was 
$27.56. In view of the ninth section of an act of the Gen- 
eral Court to incorporate the proprietors of the London- 
derry Branch Turnpike, and agreeably to the petition of 
John Folsom and others, the town voted that the selectmen 
view the ground from Moses C. Bailey's south-easterly to 
Bow line, and ascertain what encouragement would be af- 
forded by the inhabitants in giving land for a highway on 
the proposed route, and report at the next town-meeting. 



112 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

The 22d article of the warrant for this town-meeting 
contained the following words : " To see if the town will 
vote that no unlawful traveling, unnecessary labor, or idle 
walking about be allowed of in this town on the Sabbath." 
The act of the town under this article was as follows : 

Voted to leave the further consideration of the 22nd article to 
the Tythingmen. 

These officers had general legal cognizance of public abuses 
of Sunday — a matter to which we shall refer in a subse- 
quent chapter. 

On the 14th of the next April, the town accepted the re- 
port of the selectmen upon the matter relating to the pro- 
posed new road to Bow line. The selectmen judged the 
road would be useful to the public, but its construction 
would be attended by considerable expense. Any other 
route than that of a straight line they thought impractica- 
ble. They had not been able to ascertain the amount of 
damage to individuals through whose land this road would 
pass, but they recommended that the road should not be 
made a free one, and that, if it did anything, the town 
should take some number of shares, become a part of the 
corporation, and share in the profits, if any accrued. Upon 
the acceptance of this report, the town voted to invest 81000 
in the Londonderry Branch Turnpike, and that the select- 
men take shares in behalf of the town. 

The Londonderry Branch Turnpike was incorporated in 
1812. The grantees were Richard H. Ayer, John O. Bal- 
lard, Nathaniel Cavis, Nathaniel Head, Joseph Jones, Sam- 
uel Farrington, Abraham Gates and their associates. The 
road was to run from Moses Bailey's in Hopkinton to Bow 
line, and through Bow to the " Isle of Hooksett falls" in 
Dunbarton. The road was to be opened in five years from 
the date of the incorporation, or the incorporating act was 
to be null and void. The turnpike was to be a toll road, 
according to specifications of the charter. The portion of 
the turnpike located in Hopkinton is the road now extend- 
ing from Isaac Story's towards Hooksett to Bow line, by 
the way of Farrington 's Corner. 

On the foregoing 14th of April, the town voted to build 
a bridge over the Blackwater river, near Maj. Moody 
Whiting's land, where the old bridge stood, and " that the 
selectmen ascertain if there be a road from Moses Carlton's- 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1813 TO 1818. 113 

to Blackwater river in the direction to Moody Whiting's 
and cause the same to be opened." 

In 1816, March 12, the town voted that the selectmen 
make just and reasonable compensation to the Baptist Soci- 
ety for land used as a highway. 

In 1817, March 11, the town voted that the map of the 
state " be sett by the year" to the highest bidder, and that 
" whoever kept the same " should give access to it by the 
inhabitants of the town for free examination. 

This was probably a map of New Hampshire, published 
in 1816 by the authority of the state legislature, and under 
the supervision of Philip Carrigain, former secretary of 
state. The map was the result of combining the surveys 
of the different towns. A minute description of Carrigain's 
map can be found in Volume I, pages 232-236, of Hitch- 
cock's Geology of New Hampshire. We do not know how 
long this map was " sett by the year" by the town of. Hop- 
kin ton. 

On the 9th of December of the same year, Matthew Har- 
vey, for a committee, of which Thomas Bailey, Abram 
Brown, Ebenezer Dustin, Nathaniel Colby, Thomas Will- 
iams, Theophilis Stanley, Isaac Long, David Gile, Samuel 
Bickford, Philip Greeley, and Moses Chandler were mem- 
bers, reported that the committee had consulted with the 
Rev. Ethan Smith, Congregational minister of the town, 
and that he was ready to cancel his contract with the town, 
provided that all arrearages of his salary were paid, then 
amounting to about $696, or, otherwise, he intimated his 
willingness to submit the whole matter to a council mutu- 
ally called to consider it. The town refused to accept this 
report, but discharged the committee, declining to consider 
the subject further. 

In 1818, March 10, the town authorized the selectmen to 
receive proposals on account of those persons having their 
whole maintenance from the town, and contract for their 
support accordingly. This action is somewhat noticeable 
in being different from the somewhat prevailing method of 
selling publicly to the lowest bidder the pauper support. 

During the period under consideration, the subject of a 
road from the Baptist meeting-house to Thomas Bailey's 
house was agitated. The court of common pleas had been 
petitioned, a committee had been appointed to report upon 
the subject, and the report had been accepted. On the 9th 



114 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

of December, 1818, the town voted that David Greeley, 
Philip Brown, and Daniel Chase be a committee to petition 
the court to suspend the acceptance of the committee ap- 
pointed by that authority. 

On the same 9th of December, the same committee of 
the town was authorized to petition the same court for a 
road to Hopkinton court-house from Henniker North meet- 
ing-house. 

The two roads mentioned were eventually constructed. 
The road from the Baptist meeting-house to Thomas Bai- 
l's is the present one from George W. French's to Hemy 
E. Dow's. This road is presumed to include the former 
track across land belonging to the Baptist society. 

The Henniker North meeting-house, mentioned in this 
chapter, stood on the highway from Henniker village to 
West Henniker, on a site near the present residence of Hi- 
ram I^ice. This meeting-house was afterwards burned. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

TWO MEMOKABLE EVENTS. 

The year 1819 witnessed two memorable events, of in- 
terest to the whole state of New Hampshire. The effects 
of these events upon the town of Hopkinton were deriva- 
tive, yet they were so important that we cannot ignore 
them without incurring a culpable neglect. The first of 
these events to which we call the reader's attention was the 
passage of the religious Toleration Act by the General 
Court of the state. The second event was the permanent 
location of the state capital. 

In previous chapters, we have had occasion to note 
evidences of a kind of irrepressible religious conflict among 
the people of Hopkinton. We have cited the situation more 
especially in the account of the trouble with the Rev. Jacob 
Cram and in that of sectarian town-meetings. Without re- 
ferring to the cause, we have observed the controversial con- 
dition of things in the vote of March 12, 1811, refusing to 
consider the subject of raising mone3 r for the support of the 
Congregational minister, and in the vote of December 9, 
1817, ignoring the proposition of the Rev. Ethan Smith. 



TWO MEMORABLE EVENTS. 115 

We have referred to the adoption by the state of a religious- 
ly liberal constitution, which political instrument we now 
desire to specially quote. 

Article 6 of the Bill of Rights of the constitution of New 
Hampshire asserts that " no person of any particular relig- 
ious sect or denomination shall ever be compelled to pay 
towards the support of the teacher or teachers of another 
persuasion, sect or denomination," and that " no subordi- 
nation of one sect or denomination to another shall ever be 
established by law." This article expresses a religious leaven 
that ultimately leavened the whole lump of the common- 
wealth in respect to its legal religious attitude. The change 
culminated slowty. The settlers in New Hampshire who 
came from Massachusetts were obligated to a provision to 
support a minister of a certain ecclesiastical order. This 
they did for a while. One by one new religious orders 
sprang up in almost every town in the state, and one by 
one, under the state constitution, the general ecclesiastical 
organizations they represented were legalized by the state 
act. Thus the "standing order," or primitive church, lost 
a portion of its subsistence. In time, also, the people who 
attended no regular worship began to tire of being taxed 
for what they did not use. Gradually the whole mass of 
the people began to discountenance the idea of religious 
taxation. Hence, for instance, the town of Hopkinton re- 
fused to raise money for the support of the Rev. Mr. Smith. 
The matter grew, till, in 1819, the General Court of the 
state removed the last barrier to practical religious liberty. 
The Toleration Act separated church and state, and after 
its passage no man was civilly taxed to support any relig- 
ious society whatever. The only thing left for many of the 
towns to do was to dispose of the money accruing from the 
investments of funds from the leases of ecclesiastical lands. 
With respect to Hopkinton, we shall speak of the distribu- 
tion of the " parsonage money " hereafter ; but, after Decem- 
ber 9, 1817, we cannot historically speak of this town as in 
any practical sense a function interested in the minister of 
any particular church. After that date, the town passed 
no votes relating to the needs or wants of the " learned and 
orthodox minister." 

In 1814, the state of New Hampshire began seriously to 
consider the subject of a permanent seat of government. 
The General Court had no certain abiding place. In this 



116 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

respect, the condition of New Hampshire appears to have 
been different from every other state in the Union. On the 
6th of June of that year, a legislative committee was select- 
ed to consider the subject of location and matters incident 
thereto. The committee consisted of John Harris of Hop- 
kinton, Benjamin Kimball, Jr., of Concord, and Andrew 
Bowers of Salisbury. Each member of the committee rep- 
resented a town that desired to become the state capital. 
The lot of being the chief town in the state fell to Concord, 
and in 1819 the state legislature occupied the new state- 
house for the first time. 

The passage of the Toleration Act affected Hopkinton 
only religiously. The location of the state capital at Con- 
cord affected this town socially. The localizing of the Gen- 
eral Court at Concord was the first severe blow to Hopkin- 
ton's social prosperity. The attention of publicly influen- 
tial people began to be drawn away from this town. Four 
years later occurred another event that was disastrous to 
Hopkinton's social position among the towns in the vicinity. 
We are now in the inceptive narrative of a decline of pros- 
perity. Hopkinton continued to increase in population for 
a time, but the star of its social prominence was setting. 
We shall particularize more hereafter. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1819 TO 1823. 

In 1819, March 9, the town voted to discontinue the road 
leading from James Hildreth's shop to John Gage's, and that 
the selectmen dispose of it to the best advantage. This action 
is noticeable, because the road described was once a part of 
one of the two highways leading to Contoocook from Hop- 
kinton village. We have already spoken of the discon- 
tinued road as once extending from the present Stillman B. 
Gage's to Horace Edmund's. 

In 1820, March 14, the town voted to assess $1,060.20, 
including the school interest-money, for educational pur- 
poses. The reader will observe that the amount is in 
excess of any previous one. This fact marks the increase 
of the town's prosperity, as the school-money assessed was 
determined by public valuation. 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1819 TO 1823. 117 

On the same clay, the town voted permission to Roger E. 
Perkins to build a tomb in the burying-ground near the 
town-house. The tomb of Mr. Perkins is now standing' in 
the old village cemetery, being the only tomb in the south 
part of the town. 

The town also referred to the selectmen the petition of 
Phineas Crosby and John Gage, for a highway. This 
action resulted from the discontinuance of the road in 
1819. The wish of the petitioners was not granted, and 
the road is closed to the public to this day. 

It is also noticeable that at this annual town-meeting the 
date of selling the support of the town's poor to the lowest 
bidder was fixed for the 22d day of March, the time not 
being usually named in public before this, if at all. The 
place of sale was to be at the court-house. 

In 1822, March 12, an expression of the voters was taken 
in town-meeting with regard to the expediency of erecting 
a new county. The vote was agreeable to a resolution of 
the state senate of the previous year. The yeas and nays 
were required, and the result was as follows : Yeas, 3 ; 
nays, 324. The town then voted to authorize and require 
the selectmen to petition the legislature at the next session 
for a division of the county of Hillsborough into two dis- 
tricts for the choice of a register of deeds, each district to 
choose one register. 

The selectmen reported the same day upon the petition 
of Samuel Folsom for a bridge across the Blackwater river, 
deeming the proposition inexpedient, as the expense ex- 
ceeded the need, and especially as the petitioner asked for 
a road from the bridge to the top of sand hill, north of 
Tyler's bridge, and which would cost more than the bridge. 
However, the selectmen, in view of Mr. Folsom's inconven- 
ience of highway, recommended that he be excused from 
paying a highway tax until the town ordered otherwise. 
The report was accepted. 

Samuel Folsom lived on the east side of Blackwater 
river, not far from the present residence of Harvey Chase. 
The substance of the report mentioned above seems to 
anticipate the road that now exists, running from the river 
called Blackwater to a point north of the present Tyler's 
bridge. 

The same day the selectmen were authorized to pay a 
discretionary sum, not exceeding $30, to any person or per- 



118 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

sons who would give bonds to the town to maintain a 
minor that was a pauper until, he became of age ; to cause a 
fence to be built around the burying-ground near the town- 
house, and also appoint some person to keep the fence and 
ground from injury, and to prevent cattle and horses from 
feeding the lot. The same officers were also authorized to 
purchase a pall or burying-cloth for the use of the town, 
the pall to be kept in the westerly part of the township. 

In 1823, March 11, the town voted that the selectmen 
assess twenty-five cents on each of the ratable polls, and on 
other estates in proportion, the same to be applied as a 
winter highway tax, if the state of the roads required it ; or, 
if not, the tax was to be abated. Each highway surveyor 
was to give personal notice to the inhabitants of his dis- 
trict when labor was required, and, in default of immediate 
attendance, he was to open the roads and collect his taxes 
according to law. This action anticipated a permanent 
system of breaking roads in winter at the public expense. 

The same day, upon the subject of dividing the county 
of Hillsborough into two districts for registering deeds, 
there were 355 votes cast in favor of the measure and 11 
against it. 

During the year 1823, an event of special importance to 
the town of Hopkinton occurred in the judicial delibera- 
tions of New Hampshire. We shall give an account of it 
in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

THE FORMATION OF A NEW COUNTY. 

In a previous chapter, we spoke of the location of the 
state capital at Concord, saying it was an event injurious to 
the prosperity of Hopkinton. We also mentioned a second 
blow to the public interests of this town. We are now to 
narrate the second locally prejudicial event, which was the 
incorporation of the county of Merrimack. 

The location of the state capital at Concord injured Hop- 
kinton in view of what the town hoped to become ; the 
incorporation of the county of Merrimack was disastrous to 
Hopkinton in view of what it was. Without the honor of 



THE FORMATION OF A NEW COUNTY. 119 

being the state capital, Hopkinton was a shire-town of Hills- 
borough county ; deprived of the distinction of being a half 
shire-town, the judicial importance of Hopkinton shrank 
to comparatively nothing. The courts departed to the new 
seat of county government — identical with the state cap- 
ital — and Concord at length took from Hopkinton nearly 
the last vestige of public judicial distinction. Only the jail 
lingered here for a considerable time after 1823, as we have 
seen in a previous chapter. In the chapter just before the 
present one, the allusions to the votes of Hopkinton upon 
county questions show not only how much this town had at 
stake, but how much it was willing to concede in the hope 
of saving a little. 

We have already told how the extension of northerly set- 
tlements in New Hampshire had involved in difficulty the 
public business of the county of Hillsborough. The de- 
scribed condition of things at length resulted in the new 
county of Merrimack. Merrimack county, as originally 
organized, had fewer towns than now. We give the list of 
towns as they were at first, they being taken from the 
counties of Rockingham and Hillsborough. From Rock- 
ingham county there were taken Allenstown, Bow, Canter- 
bury, Chichester, Concord, Epsom, Loudon, Northfield, 
Pembroke, and Pittsfield ; from Hillsborough county, An- 
dover, Bradford, Boscawen (including Webster), Dunbar- 
ton, Henniker, Hooksett, Hopkinton, Newbury, New Lon- 
don, Salisbury, Sutton, Warner, and Wilmot. Let us 
observe what Hopkinton lost by the change. 

By the census of 1820, Hopkinton had a population of 
2,437 inhabitants — a gain of 221 in ten years. In the next 
ten years the gain in population was only 37 — a disadvan- 
tageous difference of 184, which may largely be set down 
as loss resulting from the change of county relations. The 
former dependence of Hopkinton upon public patronage is 
shown to this day by the estates in the village. Large 
houses and small inclosures indicate a dependence other 
than upon the fertility of the soil. Many old estates in 
Hopkinton village were once the residences of professional 
men, merchants, and business men of the various kinds that 
collected in a prosperous New England village in the early 
part of the present century. In 1823, the following persons 
were assessed for stock in trade : Isaac Bailey, 3d, Abram 
Brown, Gould Brown, Calvin Campbell, Thomas W. Colby, 



120 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Edmund Currier, Nathaniel Curtis, Timothy Darling, Haw- 
thorne & Jackman, Isaac E. Herrick, Thomas Kast, Simon 
Knowles, Isaac Long, Jr., William Little, Samuel Winches- 
ter. These persons represented a wide range of business, 
but many of them were located at or near the village. Con- 
toocook was then but a water-power, with but a few houses 
in the vicinity. Judging from the representations of some 
of the older inhabitants of the town, Contoocook, at the 
time under consideration, hardly held more than a half 
dozen houses. 

In a subsequent chapter, we shall speak of a third cause of 
the decline of social and popular prosperity in Hopkinton. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 182-i TO 1S30. 

In 1824, March 9, the town voted that the selectmen 
receive proposals and contract for the support of the town's 
poor, or such portion of them as they thought expedient, 
and that the transaction be effected at the town-house on 
the 22d instant, at 1 o'clock p. m. The representatives 
of the town were authorized and instructed to petition the 
legislature of the state at the next June session for the 
establishment of Hopkinton as a half shire-town of Merri- 
mack county. The selectmen were authorized to employ 
some person " to ring the bell on all occasions " the ensuing 
year. The bell meant was that of the Congregational 
church, in which the town still claimed an interest. 

On November 1, of the same year, the selectmen were 
authorized to take a title of a piece of ground on Clement's 
hill for a burying-ground, and fence the same, provided 
some person would give the land. 

In 1825, March 8, Abram Brown, Nathaniel Knowlton, 
and Ebenezer Dustin were chosen a committee to confer 
with Stephen Blan chard, Jr., with reference to purchasing 
of him an addition to the burying-ground, near the East 
meeting-house, and report at the next annual meeting. 

In 1826, March 14, the foregoing committee, chosen to 
confer with Mr. Blanchard, reported unfavorably on the 
project. They objected to the remoteness of the land from 



SUNDRY BVENT8 FROM 1824 TO 1830. 121 

the highway and its unfitness on account of rocks. They 
stated that they had examined Other plots of ground, and 
were of the opinion that when the public convenience 
required it, a lot more suitable than that adjacent to the 
thru present burying-ground could be obtained. 

The same day the committee chosen to settle with the 
selectmen and treasurer were reminded that it was a part 
of their duty to examine the accounts of the several select- 
men, and. In]- tlie better information of the town, to report 
such facts as they thought proper. 

Philip Brown was chosen an agent to represent the town 
iii the matter of a road laid out by the committee of the 
court from Tyler's bridge to Diinbarton line. 

It was also voted that the " singing society" have liberty 
to extend their seats in the meeting-house, at their own 
expense, to a line parallel to the side galleries, embracing 

the whole front gallery, excepting so as to obstruct pew- 
holders. 

On November 25 of the same year, the town voted that 
so much of the town-house as might be needed lor the use 

of a grammar school could be appropriated for that pur- 
pose, reserving to the town at all times the right of the 
hOUSe for its public business. No alteration in the house 
waslo be made to the inconvenience of the town, and I he 

selectmen were to confer with a committee of petitioners in 
reference to proposed modifications of the edifice. The 

selectmen were also empowered to alter or make any road 
from the village to Diinbarton line in accordance with their 
Conceptions of the public good. This act apparent ly had 

reference to the present so called "new" road to Dunbarton. 

Fn 1827, March 13, the town passed a remarkable act. 

Previously, for years, there had been an irregular attention 

paid to the supervision of the public schools. This time 
the matter was put upon a creditable and apparently effi- 
cient basis. The act of the town was quite elaborate. It 
provided for a committee of three persons, whose duty it 
should be to visit the schools at least twice during each 
term, to make a thorough examination of their government, 

instruction, and progress, report their transactions at the 
next annual meeting, give such opinions as they thought- 
tit upon the expediency of the present plan, implying visits 
to and examinations of schools, and also to investigate the 
qualifications of school-masters applying for situations and 



122 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

certify the qualifications of competent ones, while the 
selectmen were to withhold the school-money from any dis- 
trict that should employ a master unempowered by the cer- 
tificate of the visiting committee. Under this act, the town 
chose Rev. Roger C. Hatch, Rev. Moses B. Chase, and Rev. 
Michael Carlton a "visiting school committee." The action 
of the town in providing for this committee anticipated the 
main features of the great law of 1827, setting our state 
school system upon a firmer basis than it had ever before 
known, so far as the law related to the duties of a superin- 
tending school-committee. The predominant features of 
the law of 1827 are operative, in a slightly modified form, 
in our present state school system. 

The same day, the selectmen and committee of subscrib- 
ers to the fund for a local academy were authorized to 
determine what part of the town-house should be appropri- 
ated for the academy, all the necessary alterations to be 
made at the expense of the subscribers. 

The selectmen were also authorized to expend such an 
amount as was necessary for underpinning the town-house 
and repairing the outside, as the interest of the town 
seemed to require. The same officers were authorized to 
attend court and oppose the petition of Richard Bartlett 
and others for a road from Hills' Bridge, now Contoocook, 
to the Mast road in Goffstown. This act apparently antici- 
pated the construction of the present so called Basket Mill 
road. 

In 1828, March 11, the town voted to leave the matter of 
choosing prudential school-committees to the several dis- 
tricts. This act was in recognition of the state law of 1827, 
to which we have already referred, and which, in the first 
instance, provided that prudential committees should be 
chosen at the annual town-meeting, but later by the dis- 
tricts themselves. Horace Chase, Bodwell Emerson, and 
Matthew Harvey were chosen a committee to examine the 
laws of the town of Portsmouth, providing for the extin- 
guishing of fires, and report such as they thought applicable 
to this town. The corporation of'Hopkinton Academy was 
permitted to fit up the court-room in the town-house for the 
use of its school, provided that the same corporation would 
fit up the lower part of the town-house for the accommoda- 
tion of the town, according to the direction of the select- 
men, giving the court-room for the use of the town on pub- 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1S24 TO 1830. 123 

lie occasions, and allowing the Episcopal society the use of 
the same for public worship. We shall speak more particu- 
larly of Hopkinton academy and the Episcopal church 
hereafter. 

In 1829, March 11, the town voted to assess one dollar on 
each ratable poll, and on other ratable estate in propor- 
tion, for the purpose of breaking roads in winter. The tax 
was to be laid out at the rate of ten cents an hour for a man 
or yoke of oxen. If any person refused to work, the select- 
men were to collect his tax in money in proportion to the 
amount of work done by others. If any portion of the tax 
was not needed, it was to be remitted. 

The town voted to oppose the laying of a new road from 
Hill's Bridge to Basset Mill, so called, and that the select- 
men should appoint an agent for effecting the purpose. 

In 1830, March 9, the town voted that its portion of the 
state literary fund be invested by the treasurer, and that 
the selectmen apply the interest for the support of schools 
in the same way that the regular school tax was applied. 
The literary fund, by the law of 1821, accrued to the state, 
by a tax of one half of one per cent, upon the capital stock 
of all banking corporations. This fund in 1828 was dis- 
tributed to the towns according to their apportionments of 
public taxes. 

The town negatived a proposition to defray one half of 
the expense incurred by the agents of Hopkinton and 
Weare in opposing the construction of the Basset Mill 
road. 

The period under consideration in this chapter involved 
two events of unusual importance that affected or illus- 
trate the life of this town. One was the Jackson presiden- 
tial campaign ; the other, the census of 1830. Each of these 
two events will be treated in a separate chapter. 



124 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE JACKSON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. 

By the context of the previous chapter, the reader will 
understand that, by the Jackson presidential campaign, we 
mean the first instance of General Jackson's candidacy for 
the office of chief magistrate of the nation. We are there- 
fore contemplating the presidential campaign of 1828, es- 
pecially with reference to the popular enthusiasm of the 
support of Gen. Andrew Jackson in this town. 

Incidentally, there were perhaps several reasons for the 
unusual ardor of the people of Hopkinton during the presi- 
dential campaign of 1828. The town was predominantly 
Republican, or Democratic, as both terms were used in the 
earlier part of the present century to denominate the party 
opposed to the Federal, or Whig, political organization. As 
we have already seen, Hopkinton became positively anti- 
Federal in the presidential election of 1804, giving the major- 
ity of its votes to Jeffersonian electors. In doing this, Hop- 
kinton defined a political position that was maintained in 
national affairs for more than a half century. Yet, previous- 
ly to 1828, there had been a lull in national political contro- 
versy, and it is often said that a calm antedates a storm. 
After the war of 1812, with its controversies and excite- 
ments, had passed, there seems to have followed an inter- 
vening season of rest, before the energies of political enthu- 
siasm broke forth again in the first campaign of General 
Jackson against John Quincy Adams. How great the lull 
was of which we speak may be inferred from the records of 
the town-clerk. In 1816, there was in Hopkinton a differ- 
ence of opinion upon the presidential question represented 
by the numbers 211 and 95, not to mention a scattering 
vote or two. However, in 1820, with scarcely any opposi- 
tion or scattering votes, there were cast 104 votes for presi- 
dential electors. More than this : in 1824, with a somewhat 
irregular cast, but with scarcely a sign of opposition or dis- 
sent, the highest candidate for presidential elector received 
only 66 ballots. Such indeed was the quietus that antici- 
pated the activity of 1828, illustrating an inevitable law 
of social and political dynamics. Yet we must not overlook 
another feature of the situation. Andrew Jackson was a 










&z & c^ tf/t a. 



THE JACKSON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. 125 

man of great personal reputation and influence. At the 
present day, we would call him personally magnetic. Be- 
sides this, he was General Jackson, the hero of New Or- 
leans, whose name and fame were celebrated to the utmost 
bounds of our national domain. 

The presidential campaign of 1828, so far as Hopkinton 
was concerned, was probably conducted with the demon- 
strations incidental to the customs and facilities of the 
times. The details recoverable are meagre. However, 
there need be no hesitation in saying such general enthusi- 
asm was probably never witnessed on a similar occasion in 
this town. Indeed, it would seem that the first question 
asked concerning a stranger was, " Is he a Jackson man ? " 
The zeal of childhood and youth emulated that of man- 
hood. " Are you a Jackson boy ? " was the question asked 
of one urchin by another. The ardor of the time culmi- 
nated in the following vote for electors of president and vice- 
president on the 3d of November, as attests the record of 
the town-clerk : 

For John Harvey, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; 
" Benning M. Bean, two hundred and seventy -two votes ; 
" William Pickering, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; 
" Jesse Bowers, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; 
" Aaron Watson, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; 
" Jonathan Nye, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; 
" Stephen P. Webster, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; 
" Moses White, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; 
" George Sullivan, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; 
" Samuel Quarles, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; 
" Samuel Sparhawk, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; 
" William Bixby, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; 
" Nahum Parker, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; 
" Thomas Woolson, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; 
" Ezra Bartlett, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; and 
" William Lovejoy, one hundred and sixty-seven votes : 

Which votes were declared in open town-meeting. 

On inauguration day the next March, there was a grand 
celebration on the top of Putney's hill. A deep, light snow 
had just fallen, but that was no hindrance to the ultimate 
object. A cannon was dragged through the snow from the 
village, by the Contoocook road, to the summit of the hill 
near the old cemetery, and the repeated discharges of the 
piece made the atmosphere ring. There was standing near 



126 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

by the empty former residence of Nathaniel Rowell. His- 
tory says a temporary bar was established in the otherwise 
unoccupied farm-house. An eye witness, a Jackson man, 
represents the occasion as one of the " drunkenest times he 
ever saw. " We draw the mantle of charity, remembering 
this celebration was in a former and different time. 

In 1832, though there was less excitement during the 
campaign, the town of Hopkinton cast 310 votes for Jack- 
sonian electors against 141 for the opposition. 



. CHAPTER XXXV. 

THE CENSUS OF 1830. 

By the census of 1830, the population of Hopkinton was 
found to be 2474. In the first instance, this enumeration 
is remarkable for two reasons. Ever since the first census, 
in 1767, there had been a steady increase of population ; 
ever since that of 1830, there has been a general decrease 
of the same. By the census of 1860, there was an increase 
of nine persons over the number of those found by the pre- 
vious census. In one other instance — the census of 1880 — 
the decline in population was indicated in arrest, 22 more 
persons being found than in 1870. 

The causes of the steady increase of population till 1830, 
and the general decrease since, are complex. For an under- 
standing of them, we must look into the composite life of 
society itself. We have already remarked the circum- 
stances which once existed to attract people to Hopkinton 
for homes or on business. A new town in a commercial 
and legal centrality must thrive in population. We have 
pointed out the circumstances that took away Hopkinton's 
prestige as a half shire-town and incidental capital of the 
state. We have shown that this loss tended to a reduction 
of the number of inhabitants. Yet after the events of 1819 
and 1823, the population increased slightly till 1830. We 
must seek a reason for this phenomenon. 

The effect of the permanent location of the state capital 
and the county-seat of Merrimack at Concord upon the 
population was gradual. Much of the attendance upon 
state and county events in Hopkinton was transient. Then 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1831 TO 1836. 127 

the commercial importance of the town partly depended 
upon relations of longer continuance. Years passed before 
Concord became such a centre of trade as virtually to de- 
stroy the commercial prosperity of Hopkinton. The farms, 
too, were stationary, and supported their usual number of 
operators and occupants. There was also exhibited the 
natural tendency to the numerical increase of domestic 
establishments, so common in the earlier life of New Eng- 
land. More than this, the grand march of popular domes- 
tic migration had not been fully inaugurated. 

Soon after 1830, the tide of local emigration had begun 
effectively to surge. Large commercial and manufacturing 
centres began to attract the young of both sexes. The 
store, the shop, the mill, — each got its share of recruits 
from the town of Hopkinton. Then the newer states of 
the west began to draw away their quotas of adventurers. 
The varying dispositions of the young in respect to a choice 
of a calling helped on the tendency to depopulation, because 
Hopkinton, declining in commercial importance, no longer 
offered the multiple industrial resources it once had. Add 
to all the facts we have described the later stimulus to 
popular mentality through improved educational facilities 
and the attendant and consequent partial suppression of 
the propagative instinct, and we have compassed the pre- 
dominant causes of the comparative depopulation of which 
we are talking. 

The census of 1830 represents a pivotal stage in the 
history of Hopkinton. The present time affords no special 
indication of a reactive tendency in population. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1831 TO 1836. 

In 1831, March 8, the town voted to discontinue the road 
laid out by the selectmen the previous year from the north- 
easterly end of Blackwater bridge easterly, through lands of 
Samuel Folsom, Josiah Rogers, and Stephen Sibley, to Con- 
cord line. 

In 1832, March 13, Stephen Sibley, Ebenezer Dustin, aud 
John Whipple were chosen a committee to examine the 



128 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

pauper accounts of the town for the previous ten years, 
collect information in regard to the expense of towns that 
had purchased farms, and established poor-houses for the 
support of their paupers, and report the facts at the next 
annual town-meeting. 

The town voted to purchase a large and a small burying- 
cloth, to be kept at Sumner Fowler's house, near the Union 
Baptist meeting-house. The Union Baptist meeting-house 
was the same as the Freewill Baptist church, of which we 
shall speak particularly in another chapter. 

The selectmen were authorized to begin a suit against 
Jesse B. Hardy, to recover pay for 1792 feet of three inch 
pine plank, which he agreed to furnish for the purposes of a 
bridge near Silas Hardy's. 

The selectmen were also authorized to pay the town of 
Weare the sum of 125.15, it being the difference between 
one third and one half of the expense of surveying a road 
between Sutton South meeting-house and Nashua village. 

The petition of William A. Kent and others, for a road 
from Warner, through a part of Hopkinton, to Concord, 
and also that of Daniel Farmer and others, for a road 
through a part of Hopkinton to Amoskeag, formed the sub- 
ject of an article of the warrant for this town-meeting. 
The matters involved were referred to the discretion of the 
selectmen. 

On the 16th of March, the selectmen were authorized to 
repair Hill's bridge, at Contoocook, by building a new and 
substantial wooden pier, supply the bridge with new plank 
and railings, and make such other improvements as they 
thought necessary. 

The selectmen were also instructed to oppose the appoint- 
ment of a committee on the petition of Charles F. Gove 
and others for a road from Hill's bridge to Bassett's mill 
in Weare. 

In 1833, March 12, the committee chosen to report upon 
the expense of paupers and the subject of a town farm and 
poor-house reported. Their report was accepted but not 
put upon the record of the town. However, the next day, 
at the adjourned town-meeting, the town voted to purchase 
a farm, stock, furniture, and other materials necessary for 
the establishment of a poor-house, and that the town's 
paupers be removed to the poor-house as soon as it should 
be ready to receive them, and that the selectmen be author- 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1831 TO 1836. 129 

ized to appoint an overseer of the farm and the paupers. 
Stephen Sibley, John Silver, and Daniel Chase were chosen 
a committee to carry the main purpose into effect. 

On the same day, the town voted to accept the legacies 
bequeathed it by Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, deceased, and that 
the town treasurer receive the same, and, upon the payment 
of them, give the executor a good and sufficient discharge. 

On the 15th of the following June, at a special meeting, 
the committee, chosen in March to purchase a farm for the 
establishment of a poor-house, reported verbally that they 
had purchased the farm of Daniel Chase, had taken a deed 
of the same, and given their note to Mr. Chase for the sum 
of $3,000, with interest after the first day of March, 1834. 
Singular as it may seem, there was an article in the warrant 
for this special meeting to see if the town would sell the 
farm again, but the article was passed over and the meeting 
dissolved. 

In 1834, March 12, the foregoing committee to purchase 
a town farm reported formally. In addition to facts already 
given, they affirmed that the estate contained about 169 
acres, and that the cost of stocking and furnishing was 
$442, the farm being then ready for occupation. The same 
day the town voted to make the poor-house a house of 
correction. 

The poor-farm, as it was called, was located on Dimond's 
hill, being an estate of which the present house and land 
of Walter F. Hoyt were formerly a part. 

On the foregoing 12th of March, the town passed an act 
authorizing the town treasurer to give a discharge to the 
executor of the will of the late Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, on 
account of the bequest of a female charity fund, according 
to the provisions and specifications of the will. The dis- 
charge was to be procured by the payment of the fund to 
the treasurer on or before the first day of the next April, 
with interest for the previous year. The fund amounted 
to $500. It exists as a public provision to this day. 

The Basset Mill road came up again for consideration on 
the 5th of July, when the town voted to postpone the build- 
ing of that part of it located in Hopkinton. On the 26th 
of the same month, the town refused to reconsider the vote 
of the 6th, and also refused to instruct the selectmen to 
contract for its construction, acting under two separate 
articles in the warrant. 



130 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In 1835, March 11, the selectmen of the previous year 
made a verbal report of their investigation in relation to the 
support of paupers, and their report was accepted, but there 
was no record made of its substance. 

Nathaniel Curtis was made an agent to collect of Hugh 
McAllister, executor of the will of Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, 
two legacies of $500 each, bequeathed to the town of Hop- 
kinton. 

On the 31st of August, the Basset Mill road came upon 
the public conscience again. The road had been laid out 
by the court's committee, and this time the town voted that 
the selectmen should appoint an agent to make an application 
to the Justices of the Court of Common Pleas, in the fol- 
lowing September, for leave to discontinue the portion of 
the road lying in Hopkinton, according to an act of discon- 
tinuance already passed by the town. 

In 1836, March 9, the selectmen made a report upon the 
conduct of the poor-farm, and their report was accepted. 
The legacies of the late Dr. Ebenezer Lerned were consigned 
by vote to the Franklin Bank in Hopkinton as a loan. The 
selectmen were instructed to make the Basset Mill road 
that season. 

The same day the selectmen were authorized to hire a 
sum not exceeding $1,000, it being such a portion of $2,000 
raised by vote of the town for defraying town charges. 

On the 7th of the next November, the sense of the town 
upon the expediency of the establishment of an insane 
asylum by the state was taken. The vote stood 75 in the 
affirmative and 70 in the negative. The subject of rebuild- 
ing Tyler's bridge was referred to the selectmen, the vote 
prescribing the following lucid expression of the method : 
" in such a manner as they shall think proper between this 
time and the fifteenth day of December next, and that it 
be completed in the course of the next summer." The 
selectmen were also authorized to hire a sum not exceeding 
$1,000, upon the credit of the town, for defraying town 
expenses. 

The Lerned legacies, the Franklin Bank and the Basset 
Mill road will be subjects of further remark in future pages 
of this work. 



A LEGAL TRAGEDY. 131 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

A LEGAL TRAGEDY. 

The year 1836 witnessed a scene in Hopkinton that was 
the only one of its kind ever occurring in the town. On 
the 6th of January, Abraham Prescott, of Pembroke, was 
hung for the murder of Mrs. Sally Cochran of that town. 
It will be remembered by the reader, that although the 
courts of Merrimack county had been located at Concord, 
the jail, originally the property of Hillsborough county, re- 
mained in Hopkinton till 1852. Consequently the execu- 
tion of Prescott, in 1836, occurred at Hopkinton. 

Abraham Prescott is represented as a feeble-minded 
youth, who was a kind of protSge of the Cochran family, 
of whom Chauncey Cochran, husband of the murdered 
woman, was the responsible head. In his simple mind, 
Prescott, as the story goes, conceived that, making wa}' - 
with Mr. and Mrs. Cochran, he would certainly inherit 
their property. By a stupid project, he decoyed Mrs. 
Cochran into seclusion, and then dealt her a fatal blow. 
This was on the 23d of June, 1833. Prescott afterwards 
confessed the deed, and was tried for, and convicted of, mur- 
der at the September term of the Supreme Court in the 
year 1834, his sentence to be hung on the 23d of December, 
1835, being pronounced. 

Very strenuous efforts were made for a commutation of 
the sentence, the miserable youth's mental condition being 
urged as a motive for legal consideration. A reprieve to 
the 6th of January was obtained, but no appeals affecting 
the executive attitude of the governor and council, the 
doomed culprit went to his fate on the expiration of the 
reprieve. 

Prescott was a long time confined in the jail at Hopkin- 
ton. Andrew Leach was the jailer. In the jailer's family 
at the time of the reprieve was Mrs. Clarissa G., daughter 
of Mr. Leach, and wife of Capt. Robert Chase, of Newbury- 
port, Mass. She was only 22 years old, having with her a 
daughter, Mary Ann L., of the age of 22 months. In re- 
lating the circumstances attending the execution of Pres- 
cott, we draw from the description of Alonzo J. Fogg, who 
has already written a graphic account of the affair. Mr. 
Fogg says : 



132 LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKINTON. 

The reprieve of Prescott was not generally known, or at least not 
credited, and on the first day appointed for his execution many peo- 
ple from Pembroke and the adjoining towns congregated at Hopkin- 
ton village to witness the public execution. When the news was 
broken to the large assemblage, by the proper authorities, that the 
governor had reprieved Prescott for fourteen days, it created great 
indignation with a large majority. They honestly felt that the hand 
of justice had been held too long, and made up their minds that the 
gallows should not be robbed of its deserving victim by any execu- 
tive interference. 

After dark, the more determined portion of the indignant people, 
who comprised some of the most respectable residents of Pembroke, 
collected in the vicinity of the jail and demanded of Mr. Leach the 
keys of the cell of the condemned man, but he wisely refused to 
comply with their request. At this time, Mrs. Clarissa Chase was 
confined in bed with an infant son two days old. But in this condi- 
tion her courage and respect for the legal rights of the prisoner did 
not forsake her. She said, — '' Father, never give up Prescott to 
that cruel mob till we are all dead. " The violent demonstrations 
of the people without, however, had a powerful effect on her weak 
and nervous system, and a few minutes after she spoke to her father 
she went into convulsions. 

At this crisis, a mother's appeal came to the rescue. Mrs. Leach 
unbarred the outside door, opened it, and there she stood, a frail and 
helpless woman, before an infuriated mass of men crazed for blood 
and revenge. At her appearance with only a lighted candle in her 
hand, the crowd were hushed to silence in a moment. She told 
them of the situation of her daughter within, and appealed to their 
sympathy, and asked them to desist in their unlawful effort to secure 
the prisoner within the cell unless they desired to sacrifice her only 
child to gratify their base design. Mrs. Leach's supplication had 
its desired effect, and the mob quietly left the jail and repaired to 
the Perkins hotel, where they hung Prescott in effigy on the limb 
of the large elm in front of the house, which plainly foretold what 
might be expected the 6th of January, if justice was further de- 
layed. 

The execution of Prescott, occurred at the north of the vil- 
lage of Hopkinton, in the pasture now owned by Horace G. 
Chase, having been recently purchased by him of George 
W. Currier. The conformation of the land on three sides 
of the portion of the lot lying nearest the highway makes 
a kind of natural amphitheatre. Near the centre of the 
amphitheatre are two boulders of granite of considerable 
size. These stones mark the location of Prescott's scaffold, 
to which he was escorted from the jail by the music of drum 



A LEGAL TRAGEDY. 133 

and fife, his conveyance being preceded by a wagon con- 
taining his coffin. At the scene of the execution an im- 
mense crowd was gathered. The doomed man was swung 
off into eternity without a struggle. Indeed, he seemed 
hardly alive when he reached the scaffold. Imbecility, 
fear, remorse, one or all, had engendered a horrid passivity 
that was apparently unable to resist the last stroke inflicted 
by this world. 

We further quote from Mr. Fogg, as follows : 

Mrs. Chase never recovered from the fright and excitement at- 
tending the delay of Prescott's execution, and December 26, three 
days after, her spirit took its flight through that dark vista to an 
unknown God. Her little daughter, Mary Ann L., through neglect 
and excitement, was soon taken sick, and followed her mother Jan- 
uary 21. In the Hopkinton village cemetery, near the centre of 
the grounds, a small marble headstone marks the spot where Clar- 
issa G. Chase, and her daughter, Mary Ann L. Chase, are taking 
their last rest in the same grave. 

When these tragic events were taking place in the village of Hop- 
kinton, Capt. Chase was at sea, and on his return, and learning the 
sad fate of his wife and child, his feelings can better be imagined 
than described. For several years he remained single, but at length 
married. He took his wife with him on a long voyage : his ship 
came in collision with another vessel and sank to the bottom of the 
ocean, carrying him and his wife with him to make their long and 
last sleep in a watery grave. This last act in the tragedy finished 
the earthly career of all of Capt. Chase's family save one. 

The infant son was only five days old when its mother died, and 
was named Robert Green Chase. He was educated for the Epis- 
copal church, and settled in the ministry at Philadelphia, where he 
became a popular divine. He married, and the fruit of his union 
was a daughter. In 1866, Mr. Chase spent his summer vacation 
on the coast of Maine. By accident, Mr. Chase and wife were 
drowned, leaving his daughter an orphan, who now resides in Phil- 
adelphia. 



134 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1837 TO 1844. 

Iii 1837, January 28, the town of Hopkinton voted to 
receive of the state the respective portion of the deposits of 
the public money consigned to the town of Hopkinton by 
virtue of an act of the legislature, passed January 13, 1837, 
and pledged the faith of the town for the safe keeping and 
repayment thereof, and appointed Stephen Sibley an agent 
to receive and execute certificates of deposit therefor. Mr. 
Sibley, as agent of the town, was to pay over to the town 
treasurer his deposits for the time being, and the treasurer 
was to give a special bond to the town for the faithful dis- 
charge of his trust, and loan the deposits, with the direc- 
tion, consent, and approbation of the selectmen, for the 
time being. This action related to the reception and dis- 
position of the " surplus money," from the United States 
treasury, there being, by an act of congress of 1836, $41,- 
000,000 distributed among the several states of the Union. 
In law, the sum distributed was a " deposit," but, in fact, 
it was a gift that was never refunded. 

On the same day, the selectmen were authorized to 
rebuild Tyler's bridge as they thought proper. 

In 1838, March 13, the committee of the town, chosen to 
audit and settle the accounts of the town treasurer, found 
him charged with cash received of Stephen Sibley, agent 
of the town, to the amount of $6,102.06, upon which deposit 
interest had been collected to the amount of $37.46, mak- 
ing in all $6,139.52, which was accounted for by adequate 
securities. 

The next day, the sense of the voters was taken upon 
the expediency of the state legislature passing a law author- 
izing town-clerks to record deeds. There were 110 votes 
in favor of the proposition, and 241 against it. It was 
voted that the interest on the public deposits be appropriated 
to defraying town charges the year ensuing ; that the 
selectmen effect an insurance upon the pauper farm ; to 
accept the report of Stephen Sibley, agent for the receipt of 
the public deposit, and discharge him from his agency. 

On the 20th of the next August, the town voted to pass 
over an article relating to building a stone bridge over the 
Contoocook river, near Moses Tyler's, and also to pass over 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1837 TO 1844. 135 

one relating to one or two stone abutments at Tyler's 
bridge. 

In 1839, on the 16th of February, the following act was 
passed by the town : 

Voted that the town relinquish to the First Congregational Society 
in the town of Hopkinton all right and title that they have or may 
have or may claim to have in the meeting house occupied by said 
society- 
There were 82 yeas and 58 nays to the proposition, which 
apparently anticipated a purpose to repair the meeting- 
house by the society. The remodelling of the meeting-house 
will be a future subject of this work. 

On the 9th of the following March, the selectmen were 
authorized to collect, or cause to be collected, by the 15th 
of the next September, 75 per cent, of all the securities on 
account of the surplus revenue belonging to the town, and 
apply the same to the outstanding debts of the town and 
the incidental expenses for the ensuing year. 

The town also voted to appropriate $3,000 towards the 
establishment of an insane asylum in the state, provided 
that the institution were located within the limits of Hop- 
kinton. 

Horace Chase, Hamilton E. Perkins, and- Stephen Sibley 
were made a committee to consider the laws relating to the 
extinguishing of fires, and report at the next annual town- 
meeting. 

The selectmen reported the location and boundaries of the 
several school-districts in town. Their report was accepted, 
and the boundaries became a matter of record. This action 
was authorized the year previous. The districts located 
were nineteen in number, and were described by metes and 
bounds territorially. 

In 1840, March 11, the subject of repairs upon Hill's 
bridge at Contoocook was referred to the selectmen, who 
were to examine it at once, ascertain where repairs were 
needed, and make comparative estimates between the 
expense of a stone bridge, and that of a wooden one, and 
that of a wooden one with stone abutments without a pier, 
reporting at the town-meeting in November. The same 
officers were also authorized to enclose the village burying- 
grouud with a good, substantial board fence, with good split 
stone posts, not less than six feet in length, the fence to be 



136 LIFE AND TIMES IN" HOPKINTON. 

not less than four feet high, and of a style discretionary 
with the officers, the structure to have regard to decency 
and durability. The selectmen were also authorized to 
fence the burying-ground on Clement's hill according to 
their proper discretion. 

The residue of the surplus revenue belonging to the town 
was by vote applied to the defraying of town expenses the 
ensuing year, while the equivalent of the interest was to 
be deducted proportionately from each poll tax. 

The town voted to fit up the town-house for the accom- 
modation of the court, in case the town was made a half 
shire-town of Merrimack county ; also, to defend a suit 
brought by the town of Henniker, for the support of Anna 
Dodge, wife of Asa Dodge. 

On the 2d of the next November, the selectmen reported 
with reference to their inspection of Hill's bridge. The 
town then voted " that the selectmen cause Hill's bridge to 
be rebuilt next season according to the present plan of said 
bridge, and that they repair or rebuild the abutments with 
stone, as in their discretion will be for the best interest of 
the town, and that they make such preparation this season 
for rebuilding the same as they may think necessary." 

In 1841, March 10, the selectmen were authorized to 
divide one year's interest, at 6 per cent., of the surplus rev- 
enue among all the persons who were taxed in town the 
ensuing year, the distribution to be equal. 

It was voted that one fourth of the school money be 
equally divided among the districts, and the residue equally 
according to the scholars, as formerly. 

One dollar was voted to each soldier of the third com- 
pany of infantry that did military duty in 1840. 

In 1842, March 10, the selectmen were instructed to pur- 
chase a bier for each of the graveyards in town ; to divide 
the school-district in Contoocook by the river ; to print the 
report of town expenditures in pamphlet form, the number 
of copies to be sufficient to supply one to each legal voter ; 
to divide one year's interest of the surplus revenue among 
the several tax-payers ; to authorize the selectmen to hire 
as much money as they deemed expedient to defray town 
charges, the sum raised being $1,700. 

The selectmen were also directed to administer the fol- 
lowing oath to each person before taking an inventory of 
his property : 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1837 TO 1844. 137 

You solemnly swear, or affirm (as the case may be), that you will 
make true answers to such questions as shall be asked you in refer- 
ence to your property and estate, liable by law to taxation ; So help 
you God. 

After taking the inventory, the selectmen were to pro- 
pound the following: 

Upon the oath you have taken, have you now given a true account 
of all your property and estate, liable by law to taxation on the first 
day of April instant, according to your best knowledge and belief ? 

Have you neither transferred, concealed, kept back, nor in any 
way disposed of any of your money, or securities, or other property 
of any description, with a design to avoid or diminish your taxes ? 

On the 5th of the following December, Moses Colby was 
chosen an agent of the town to oppose a road laid out by 
the road commissioners from Bell's tavern in Henniker to 
Stan wood's tavern in Hopkinton. Bell's tavern was on the 
site of the present Henniker hotel, and Stanwood's tavern 
on that of the present Perkins Inn. 

On the 5th of June, 1842, James Straw signed an indent- 
ure allowing the selectmen of the town to drain Wolf 
meadow, the consideration being $2. Wolf meadow is now 
flowed by Whittier's pond, at the westerly junction of the 
old and new roads running between Hopkinton and Con- 
cord. 

In 1843, there was a hard struggle over the subject of the 
4th article in the warrant for the annual town-meeting on 
the 14th of March. The article related to the choice of two 
representatives to the General Court. The clerk's record 
gives no details of the ballots, but mentions the conclusive 
fact that the article was indefinitely postponed on the sec- 
ond day of the meeting, apparently in the afternoon. 

On the third day of town-meeting, the matter of purchas- 
ing a piece of land for a burying-yard near the lower vil- 
lage was referred to the selectmen. A year's interest of the 
surplus revenue was by vote divided as formerly, and an- 
nually so until further ordered by the town. The select- 
men were instructed to cause one third of the school-money 
to be collected by the first day of the next September. The 
town voted to raise $2,000 for current expenses, authoriz- 
ing the selectmen to hire such a sum as they deemed neces- 
sary, not exceeding $1,000, the rate of interest to be 6 per. 
cent. 



138 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

The same day, the following act was passed : 

Yoted the town give to Widow Catherine S. Lerned all the school 
book fund that can be realized from the Franklin Savings Bank, 
being the same school book fund bequeathed the town by Doct. 
Ebenezer Lerned, deceased, provided the heirs at law to the said 
Lerned shall signify their assent in writing to such appropriation 
and waive all advantage by reason of such disposition of said fund. 

On the 10th of the following August, the selectmen were 
instructed to divide the town into school-districts to the 
number of 20, according to law. On the 7th of October, 
the same officers were authorized to purchase a piece of 
land near the east village for a burying-ground. 

On the 14th of October, the record was made of the 
action of the selectmen in dividing the town into twenty 
school-districts, the action being in response to a petition, 
of the 9th of the same month, signed by Chase Fowler, 
Hazen Kimball, Sumner Carlton, Moses Stanley, Timothy 
Tilton, John Tilton, George S. Daniels, M. W. Merrill, 
John F. Sargent, Joel Chandler, and Gilman Fifield. 

In 1844, March 13, a record is made of an alphabetical 
list having been lodged with the town-clerk, and posted in 
the store of Stephen B. Sargent, fifteen days prior to the 
12th of March, and of each voter being checked on the list 
in the vote for representatives to the General Court. Pre- 
viously to this time, the detailed ballots for representatives 
had been sometimes recorded, but not always — in fact, 
never till a late period. 

The school-money raised, exclusive of the interest on the 
school-fund, was only 8850, whereas for some time previous 
it had been $1,060.20. 

It was voted to postpone the reading of the report of the 
superintending school-committee, and authorize the select- 
men to procure 600 printed copies of the same for distribu- 
tion among the legal voters of the town. 

The selectmen were authorized to compromise with the 
petitioners for a new road from Henniker to Hopkinton, 
that the road might leave the route laid out by the commis- 
sioners near the Henniker line ; thence keeping on the west 
side of the Contoocook river to a point near Smiley's mills, 
at West Hopkinton ; thence to the house of Deacon White ; 
thence to the burying-ground by the bridge over Paul 
brook ; thence to the Basset Mill road near the blacksmith- 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1837 TO 1844. 139 

shop of George Choat, — instead of building said road on 
the route established by the commissioners. 

Thomas Bailey, Abram Brown, and Nathaniel Kimball 
were chosen a committee to confer with the selectmen in 
reference to the purchase of a piece of land for a burying- 
ground near the East village. 

On the 3d day of August, Thomas Bailey and Cyrus Bar- 
ton were chosen agents to effect a possible compromise in 
the matter of a road from Henniker to Hopkinton. 

The poor-house in town was voted a house of correction. 
The overseer was to be the keeper. The following by-laws 
for the government of the house of correction were adopted : 

First. Every inmate of the house of correction, when able to 
labor, shall be kept diligently employed under the direction of the 
keeper. 

Second. If any inmate shall refuse to obey the orders of the over- 
seer of the house of correction, such overseer may punish such in- 
mate by confining him in solitary imprisonment not exceeding 48 
hours at any one time. 

On the 17th of the same month, the agents appointed by 
the town reported that they had not been able to effect any 
compromise with reference to the Henniker and Hopkin- 
ton road. The selectmen were then instructed to build the 
road laid out upon the petition of L. Smith and others, the 
building of it to be sold at the lowest price by auction ; 
that a covered bridge be built across the river, with a span 
not exceeding 150 feet, with stone abutments ; the work of 
constructing both the road and the bridge was to begin im- 
mediately. It is noticeable in this connection that the bridge 
was to be "built on the Ex plan," referring, doubtless, to 
the diagonal arrangement of its timbers. The selectmen 
were authorized to hire any sum of money not exceeding 
$ 5,000, to defray the expenses of the town that year. 

On the 15th of the next October, the town reconsidered 
so much of the foregoing action as related to the bridge 
over the Contoocook river on the new Henniker and Hop- 
kinton road, and voted that the structure should be an 
arched one of stone. 

At the presidential town-meeting in November, the sub- 
ject of the expediency of abolishing capital punishment was 
considered. There were 70 votes in favor of the abolition 
of such punishment, and 172 in the negative. 



140 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

It was voted that copies of the report of expenditures of 
the selectmen the ensuing year be printed in sufficient num- 
bers to supply all the legal voters with one each, to be de- 
livered at the next annual town-meeting. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

THE GREAT RAILROAD CONTROVERSY. 

In the year 1844, the town of Hopkinton sustained the 
result of one of the greatest social agitations that ever oc- 
curred within its limits. For the time then being, every 
other political subject appears virtually to have succumbed 
to it. At the annual town-meeting in March, it was the 
predominant theme. Two representatives were chosen to 
the General Court with special reference to it. They were 
Samuel Colby and Moses Colby. Samuel Colby was a Dem- 
ocrat, but he was not chosen on that account ; Moses Colby 
was a Whig, but that fact did not determine his election. 
Both of these gentlemen were chosen because of their oppo- 
sition to a certain project represented by the railroads. In 
fact, the great railroad controversy in Hopkinton was at 
its height, and, so far as Hopkinton's choice of represent- 
atives to the General Court went, the railroads were de- 
feated. 

It is an item of interest in this connection that there was 
no railroad in Hopkinton at the time, nor does it appear 
that there was any immediate prospect of one being in 
town. However, there were railroads in other parts of New 
Hampshire, and projects for the extension of their ramifi- 
cations, and the great railroad controversy was by no means 
local with any town in the state. This controversy arose 
out of the question of what is sometimes called eminent do- 
main. 

Eminent domain means the right of government to take 
private property, or allow it to be taken, for public uses. 
The 5th amendment to the Constitution of the United 
States provides that such property shall not be taken 
" without just compensation." The principle involved in 
this amendment is equally recognized in civil law. How- 
ever, this idea was not simply embraced in the matter of 




- *\ 



THE GREAT RAILROAD CONTROVERSY. 141 

controversy under discussion, but the subject of the public 
or private nature of a railroad corporation was emphatically 
broached. The way of presenting the subject is easily illus- 
trated. A common highway is a public benefit, and, once 
decreed necessary, its right to pass, by the concession of 
the owners of private property, from its inceptive point to 
its termination, is unquestioned. However, such a high- 
way is free in its provisions ; but a railroad is restrictive in 
its benefits. No one is charged for using a common high- 
way, but a pecuniary fare is collectible by a railroad. Out 
of this distinction arose a great contest in New Hampshire. 
Apparently many people neglected to reflect that a manu- 
factory, located on a stream of water, has the right under 
the law to the eminent domain, so far as the necessary flowage 
of private lands is concerned, though it charges a price for 
the services it renders its patrons. But men do not always 
mind such considerations when in the heat of a great con- 
troversy. In the end, however, the legal expedients were 
equal to the exigencies in the railroad case. The railroad 
was the inevitable certainty. The age demanded it and the 
spirit of the age endorsed it. It remained only for the state 
either to claim the eminent domain for the use of the rail- 
road, or to confirm the railroad as a public institution. In 
the progressive legal history of the state, as we are told by 
presumed authority, both things have been done. 

The majority against railroads once prevailed in Hopkin- 
ton ; but in the end the involved ascendant idea was de- 
feated. To-day railroads are extended through private 
property, even though they are not free in their provisional 
accommodations. In closing this chapter, we present the 
clerk's record of the ballots by which Hopkinton's represen- 
tatives to the General Court in 1844 were elected. The 
following is the first ballot : 

Samuel Colby had 

John Burnham " 

Moses Colby " 

John Paige " 

Jonathan Jones " 
Old Dan Tucker " 

P. Clough " 

Joseph Dow " 

The following is the second ballot : 



-32 votes 


78 


' 


31 


« 


14 


( 


3 


< 


1 


t 


1 


i 


1 


EC 



142 



LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKZNTON. 



Moses Colby- 
John Burnham 
David N. Patterson 
Joseph Dow 
John Paige 
Moses Copps 
Temperance, 
Horace C. Stanley 
John Repeal 
Levi Straw, Jr., 



had 



127 votes. 
103 

7 

1 

2 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 



In this chapter, we have briefly shown how intense a pub- 
lic controversy may be ; in a subsequent chapter, the reader 
will observe how readily the mind of a community can be 
reversed to favor that which it once opposed. 



CHAPTER XL. 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1845 TO 1850. 

In 1845, March 12, the selectmen of Hopkinton were 
instructed to adjust the account of the town against the 
town of Weare, for the support of Gilman Lull, as in their 
judgment would be for the best interest of the town. It 
was voted to dispense with the services of the superintend- 
ing school-committee, so far as the examination and in- 
spection of schools were concerned. 

On the 26th of the following August, the town voted to 
rebuild Ro well's bridge, at West Hopkinton, with such 
variation as to place as the judgment of the selectmen 
might indicate, said bridge to be built of stone, provided 
the cost should not be over $2,500, and the builder would 
warrant the bridge to stand from three to five years after 
completion, the construction to be sold by auction to the 
lowest bidder. 

On the 23d of the next September, the selectmen were 
instructed to purchase a burial-cloth for the use of the grave- 
yard near the town-house. It was also voted to sell land 
for private burial-lots in the same graveyard. The select- 
men were instructed to purchase land for enlarging the 
yard. 

On the 29th of the following November, the town voted 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1845 TO 1850. 143 

to reconsider, from and after the first day of the next April, 
a vote passed at the annual town-meeting in 1843, to divide 
one year's interest of the surplus revenue at 6 per cent, 
among the resident tax-payers equally. 

In 1846, March 11, the collecting of town taxes was 
struck off in open town-meeting to the lowest bidder, and 
John Foss became collector at a salary of $24. The sum 
of $3,000 was raised for town expenses. Horace Chase, 
Nicholas Quimby, and Phineas Clough were chosen a com- 
mittee to consider and report at the next annual town- 
meeting what part of chapter 111 of the Revised Statutes, 
relating to the extinguishing of fires, it was expedient to 
adopt, and also to consider and report a code of rules and 
by-laws, such as should be thought expedient and proper, 
according to chapter 31 of the Revised Statutes, and an 
act entitled " An Act in addition to chapter 31 of the Revised 
Statutes,"' passed June, 1845. 

It was voted that the selectmen purchase a grave cloth 
for the graveyard on Clement's hill. A provision was 
made for printing the selectmen's report. 

In 1847, March 10, the town voted against the proposi- 
tion to establish a county poor-farm. The committee of 
March 11, 1846, to consider and report in reference to the 
extinguishing of fires presented a by-law in 23 sections ; 
another of four sections, relating to horses, neat cattle, etc., 
running at large, and respecting the kindling, guarding, and 
safe-keeping of fires, etc., was reported. 

The Hon. Matthew Harvey introduced a measure for the 
consideration of the town, which adopted it. The act pro- 
vided for the annual distribution of the equivalent of the 
interest of funds realized from the lease of the parsonage, 
school, and militia lots in town. The sum of $88 was to be 
divided among the different religious societies in proportion 
to the taxes paid publicly by each ; the sum of $34.93, 
among the several school-districts, as the town might direct ; 
the sum of $4.24, among the several militia companies 
equally. The aggregate, of $127.17 was to be an annual 
appropriation. 

The town treasurer was empowered to collect one half of 
the securities of the town, excepting the literary fund and 
the legacies, and appropriate the same as the law required, 
and that the remainder be collected the next year. 

In 1848, March 15, the town voted to appropriate $23.28 



144 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

of the literary fund for the support of a teacher's institute 
in Merrimack county. 

A vote being taken on the expediency of the General 
Court passing a law prohibiting the sale of wines and spirit- 
uous liquors, except for chemical, medicinal, and mechan- 
ical purposes, the result was 103 in the affirmative and 57 
in the negative. 

Nicholas Quimby was chosen an agent of the town, to 
convey by deed, and by the direction of the selectmen, any 
real estate that might come into the absolute possession of 
the town during the ensuing year. 

The services of a superintending school-committee, so 
far as relating to the visiting of schools, were dispensed 
with by vote. 

On the 7th of the next November, the town voted to paint 
the town4iouse. 

The same day the selectmen, were instructed to suspend 
the collection of the securities of the town and retain in 
the treasury uncollected securities sufficient to account for 
the parsonage, school, and training-field funds, until the 
question then pending in the Supreme Court in relation to 
the town of Henniker was decided, and which involved the 
subject of the right of towns to appropriate the principal of 
the described funds, and assess a tax to pay the interest. 
The court decided that such a tax could not legally be 
assessed. 

In 1849, March 13, the town voted to raise 3 per cent, of 
the school-money for the support of a teacher's institute in 
Merrimack county, also to adopt the provisions of chapter 
727 of the Pamphlet Laws of the state, passed at the Novem- 
ber session of the legislature of 1840, and relating to engine- 
men. 

In 1850, March 13, the selectmen were directed to in- 
struct the collector of taxes to abate 3 per cent, of all taxes 
paid on or before the first day of September, 2 per cent, of 
all paid on or before the first of November, and 1 per cent, 
on all paid on or before the first of January ; the selectmen 
were to allow the same rates of premium to the collector 
for all taxes paid into the town treasury on or before the 
5th day of each respective month mentioned ; and this 
arrangement was to be in force till otherwise ordered by 
the town. 

It was voted that any person paying 75 per cent, of his 



THE INTRODUCTION OF THE RAILROAD. 145 

highway taxes into the town treasury on or before the first 
clay of September should be entitled to a receipt in full for 
such taxes. The selectmen were instructed to purchase a 
piece of ground for the burying-yard in the northerly part 
of the town, the present cemetery at Blackwater being pre- 
sumably indicated. The town voted to purchase two 
hearses, one to be kept in Hopkinton village and one in 
Contoocook. 

On the 15th of April, the foregoing vote in relation to 
the payment of highway taxes into the town treasury was 
reconsidered, and another vote, to a similar effect, with the 
time changed to on or before the first day of June, was 
passed. The selectmen were instructed to purchase two 
new hearses with any unappropriated money in the town 
treasury. 

During the period embraced by this chapter, the Mexican 
war occurred. The war not being popular in New England, 
little personal interest was taken in it by New Hampshire 
people. Capt. Paul R. George, of Hopkinton, was quarter- 
master of Col. Caleb Cushing's Massachusetts regiment, 
taking along with him Elbridge Burbank and Daniel Caiton. 
All three returned. 

Philip Perry, of this town, was also a soldier of that war, 
according to private information. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE RAILROAD. 

In a previous chapter, speaking of the year 1844, we told 
of the ardent opposition of the town of Hopkinton to rail- 
roads. If one living at that time had been foretold that in less 
than five years a large party in this town would be equally 
as earnest in promoting the advancement of a scheme to 
construct a railroad within the limits of Hopkinton, he 
might have treated the statement with contempt as well as 
surprise. Yet, in the progress of events, the implied state 
of things came to pass. 

In a very few years after 1844, many people in Hopkin- 
ton became interested in a scheme which ultimately con- 
10 



146 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

structed a railroad from Concord to Bradford, with a branch 
line from Contoocook to Hillsborough Bridge, the com- 
pleted project affording no less than three stations in this 
town, namely, at Tyler's, Contoocook, and West Hopkin- 
ton. 

The evidence of a progressive railroad scheme, interest- 
ing to the town of Hopkinton, is found in two votes of the 
town, passed March 13, 1849, as follows : 

Voted that this subject [of the 10th article in the warrant] be left 
with the selectmen, and that they be instructed to avail themselves 
of all the advantages the law gives them, with a view to have a 
bridge built across the public highway, near the dwelling house of Moses 
Tyler, for the use of the Concord and Claremont railroad company. 

Voted that the selectmen be instructed to request the corporations 
of the several railroads in Hopkinton to build and tend gates wher- 
ever the said railroads shall cross the public highway in said town. 

The following act of the town, passed March 13, 1850, is 
also of interest in this connection : 

Voted that notice be given to the Concord and Claremont and 
Contoocook Valley railroad corporations to build, maintain and tend 
gates at the several places where the said railroads cross the public 
highways in this town, in accordance with the requirements of chap- 
ter 142 of the Revised Statutes. 

The foregoing votes, or acts, implying the cautionary 
prudence of the town of Hopkinton, were measurably 
fruitless so far as the exact text of their language was con- 
cerned. No bridges were built over the highway by rail- 
roads in this town, and scarcely any gates were constructed 
and tended at crossings. Such permanent precautions 
against danger at railroad crossings as the law effectively 
prescribed were and are of a different kind. However, we 
are to speak further, not of precautions and obstructions, 
but of enthusiasm and encouragement in view of the pro- 
posed railroad project we have described. The principal 
support of the railroad was the money subscribed for its 
stock. Not only was money rapidly forthcoming, but the 
wildest conceptions of the potency of the investment were 
everywhere afloat. Such was the readiness to exchange 
money for railroad stock that the ordinary, private bor- 
rower, with good and sufficient security, could hardly ob- 
tain a hearing. The popular enthusiasm culminated in 
1850, in the early fall of the year, when trains began to run 



THE INTRODUCTION OF THE RAILROAD. 147 

regularly between Concord and Contoocook. A day of 
great festivity was held. The railroad officials extended 
the favor of a free ride to and from the city of Concord. 
The proffered courtesy was accepted by a large company, 
filling a long train. 

The people of Contoocook had determined to be liberal 
in promoting the festivities. A subscription had been raised, 
a public dinner provided, music and artillery secured. 
About one thousand persons sat down to eat. The food 
was set upon a row of tables at the station, a shed having 
been erected for their accommodation. About fifteen mem- 
bers of the Warner artillery came with a. gun and music 
to do the military honors. The gun was posted on the in- 
terval on the north side of the river, just below the rail- 
road bridge, towards which spot a signal was given to fire. 
Speeches were made, the band played, the cannon thundered. 
It was indeed a gala occasion. The pecuniary expense of 
the dinner eaten on this occasion amounted to $200. 

In the course of time, the emotions of people most inter- 
ested in the railroad project received a serious reverse. The 
assessments upon original stock, for the completion of the 
enterprise, created the wildest consternation. To be rid of 
their obligations, many people made heavy sacrifices. The 
aggregate loss to Hopkinton residents was very large. 
Many thousands of dollars were the cost of a blind zeal in 
the first instance. Such is life many times over. 

The facilities for railroad travel to Bradford and Hills- 
borough Bridge were eventually completed. The line 
from Contoocook to Hillsborough Bridge was built by 
Joseph Barnard, then of Contoocook, his work as construc- 
tor of the road-bed being done in 1849. Since the introduc- 
tion of the railroad into Contoocook, many changes and 
improvements have been made at the station. Railroad con- 
nection, in later years, has been extended to Claremont 
Junction on the one hand, and to Peterborough on the other, 
as continuations of the former lines to Bradford and Hills- 
borough Bridge respectively. 



148 LIFE AM) TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER XLII. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1851 TO 1855. 

In 1851, March 12, the town voted on the expediency of 
the state legislature's passing the homestead exemption act, 
securing each family the value of $500 free from attach- 
ment, levy, or execution, with 209 votes in favor of, and 
128 against, the project. 

On March 13, the town voted to raise $1,200 for schools, 
and that the 24th dividend of the literary fund be added to 
the amount, and that one half of the whole be equally 
divided among the school-districts, and one half among the 
same according to the number of scholars in each. 

The selectmen were instructed to build a hearse-house at 
Contoocook the present year. 

In 1852, March 3, the town voted to repeal the 14th and 
15th sections of the by-law of the town relating to the ex- 
tinguishing of fires, and passed March 9, 1847. The by- 
law referred to was reported on March 10, it being the sec- 
ond day of the annual town-meeting, but the clerk of that 
year, 1847, did not record its adoption. The 14th section 
provided that a majority of the fire-wards could destroy a 
building to stay the progress of a fire ; the 15th, that the 
selectmen could assess the damage upon the tax-payers, 
unless the fire started in such building, or the same would 
have burned in any case. 

On the 10th of May, the town voted to discontinue the 
road laid out by the road commissioners from the house of 
William Rogers to Henniker line, and the selectman were 
authorized to petition the court of common pleas for a dis- 
continuance. 

The town voted to rebuild Rowell's bridge, at West 
Hopkinton, of wood, with stone abutments, and the select- 
men were instructed to make it of such a model as they 
deemed for the interest of the town, and locate the same 
accordingly. The selectmen were also instructed to build 
a wooden suspension bridge over the river at Contoocook, 
the same to rest upon two stone abutments raised to a suf- 
ficient height to allow water to pass at ordinary freshets, 
the manner of covering the same to be left to the discretion 
of the selectmen. The matter of rebuilding Tyler's bridge 
was left to the discretion of the selectmen, who were 
authorized to employ suitable persons to convey foot-pas- 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1851 TO 1855. 149 

sengers across the river at Tyler's and Smiley's, the latter 
being at West Hopkinton. The selectmen were authorized 
to hire a sum not exceeding $5,000, at 6 per cent., for the 
purpose of building and repairing bridges in town. A part 
of this action resulted from the great freshet of the spring 
of 1852, and which carried off Rowell's bridge and also the 
bridge on the Henniker -new road, so called, of which we 
shall say more hereafter. 

On the 8th day of the next July, the selectmen were in- 
structed u to build a new wooden covered bridge at Con- 
toocookville without roof," whatever that may have meant, 
and sell the work to the lowest bidder. 

On the 2d day of November, after a comparatively quiet 
campaign, the people of the town voted at the presidential 
election. The Democratic electors received 279 votes, the 
Whig 102, the Freesoil 46. It is thus seen that the Dem- 
ocratic majority was 131. This large majority resulted from 
two causes. The Democratic candidate for President was 
Franklin Pierce, a popular man : again, he was a citizen of 
New Hampshire. The possibility of having a President of 
the United States from New Hampshire aroused state pride, 
and gave Franklin Pierce many a vote he would not other- 
wise have received. 

At the same election, the town voted on the expediency 
of the bill entitled "An act for the suppression of drinking 
houses and tippling shops " being enacted into a law. The 
vote stood 29 yeas and 187 nays. 

The selectmen were authorized to appoint an agent to 
sell or buy the interest of Amos Frye in the cider-mill on 
the pauper farm. 

In 1853, March 9, the town seemed to be a little hilari- 
ous, it being the second day of the annual meeting, or else 
there had been an unusual number of marriages during the 
previous fiscal year. The motion to choose ten hogreeves 
prevailed, and subsequently a vote to choose ten more was 
passed. The following twenty hogreeves were chosen : 
Moses T. Kimball, William R. Chase, Lucius H. Tyler, 
William Winchester, Melvin Colby, James. H. Emerson, 
William H. Leslie, George W. Piper, Carlton Weeks, Al- 
fred N. Chandler, William H. Boutwell, Stephen B. Clarke, 
Jr., Horatio J. Chandler, Josiah D. Cilley, James Kezar, 
Samuel A. Hardy, George L. Dow, David Everett, Lozaro 
Currier, Henry M. Fuller. 



150 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

The town voted to raise $2,000 for current expenses, and 
the selectmen were authorized to borrow $4,000 upon the 
credit of the town. 

On the 21st of March, the selectmen were instructed to 
build a covered bridge across the river at Contoocook, like 
or similar to the one built at West Hopkinton the year 
previous, except that it was to be with or without an arch, 
according to the discretion of the selectmen, and the abut- 
ments were to be raised sufficiently to allow water to pass 
in the greatest freshets, and the structure was to be built 
that season. 

In 1854, March 14, there was a remarkable contest for 
representatives to the General Court. Isaac D. Merrill was 
chosen a representative upon the second ballot. The town 
then voted ten times for another representative, but with- 
out a choice, and the contest was abandoned. We shall 
refer to a cause of this contest in the next chapter. 
' In 1855, March 14, the agent of the town pauper farm 
was requested hereafter to make an annual detailed report 
of all produce raised, all articles bought and sold, and all 
receipts and expenditures connected with his agency, said 
report to be made to the selectmen and published in their 
annual report. The town auditors were by vote ordered to 
cause their report of the treasurer's account to be pub- 
lished with the selectmen's and superintending school-com- 
mittee's report, this arrangement to obtain until otherwise 
ordered by the town. 

The selectmen were authorized to purchase a good fire 
safe, for the better preservation of the records of the town. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

A POLITICAL CRISIS. 

The year 1855 witnessed a peculiar crisis in political 
affairs in Hopkinton. For the first time in the history of 
the town, two representatives who were not Democrats 
were elected to the General Court. The town had before 
experienced ardent contests over the election of its repre- 
sentatives. It had sometimes failed of an election. Once 




Mrs Betsey t. Kimball 



A POLITICAL CRISIS. 151 

it sent a Whig to the General Court on a railroad issue. In 
1855, from a purely political motive, the town of Hopkin- 
ton elected two representatives who in no sense owed any- 
thing to the Democratic party. This was the first severe 
blow that party ever received in this town. 

The cause of the defeat of the Democratic party in the 
contest for representatives to the state legislature was some- 
what remote. There had been murmurings of a storm in 
the national Democratic party for years. The fugitive slave 
law, the Mexican war, and the admission of Texas had all 
contributed more or less to disaffection in the northern 
states of the Union. Then the proposition to repeal the 
Missouri compromise capped the climax, and the crisis had 
begun. But this was not all of the matter involved in this 
chapter. The Whig party, too, was in a state that was 
more than disaffection. The structure of the Whig party 
began to topple in the days of the administration of John 
Tyler ; it trembled in 1850, when Daniel Webster made 
his famous speech that cost him much of his northern pop- 
ularity ; it tumbled to pieces after the election of Franklin 
Pierce in 1852. In consequence of the disaffection in the 
Democratic party and the disintegration of the Whig party, 
a large mass of voters found themselves politically home- 
less. Bees driven from their native hive will make an 
attempt to swarm elsewhere. In like manner, dissatisfied 
Democrats, stranded Whigs, impatient Freesoilers, impetu- 
ous temperance men, and nondescript voters rushed for the 
American party, otherwise the Know-Nothing party, which, 
while it more or less directly catered to the whims and 
opinions of the great mass of political wanderers, tried to 
rally its supporters to the standard bearing the legend, 
"Americans must rule America." 

Such was somewhat the condition of things in New 
Hampshire in 1854. That year, in Hopkinton, Isaac D. 
Merrill, an unswerving Democrat, was elected representa- 
tive, as we have before seen, only on the second ballot. In 
ten ballots more, no Democrat was found equal to the 
occasion of a majority, though several were tried. Possibly 
Jonathan Jones might have been elected, but he declined 
to continue the contest. In 1855, however, the Democratic 
party in Hopkinton was at sea on the subject of representa- 
tives. There was an important falling off of the governor's 
ticket. At the end of the first day of town-meeting, on the 



152 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

second ballot, Timothy Colby, Jr., an American, was chosen 
representative. The town-clerk thus records the result : 

Isaac D. Merrill had two hundred and forty votes . . 240 

Timothy Colby, Jr., had two hundred and fifty-five votes 255 

Joseph Stanwood had one vote 1 

Ira A. Putney had one vote 1 

Cyrus Dustin had one vote 1 

The foregoing figurative statement was followed by the 
usual specification of the terms of the election, and the 
clerk then recorded the adjournment of the meeting till the 
next day. 

It appears that there was an earnest canvass of political 
forces between the evening of one day and the morning of 
the next. The Democrats rallied a second time around the 
standard of Isaac D. Merrill. It was in vain. Paul R. 
George was the leader of the American forces, and his 
influence was unconquerable. The town-clerk thus records 
the ballot of the morning of Wednesday, the second day of 
town-meeting : 

Isaac D. Merrill had two hundred and one votes . 201 

Paul R. George " two hundred and twenty five " . 225 

Cyrus Dustin had eight " . 8 

Philip Flanders had one vote . 1 

Isaac D. Herreld had one ........." . 1 

The same year, the town chose three American selectmen 
and an American superintending school-committee. The 
next year, it swung back into the Democratic column. The 
position, however, was not secure, Out of the political 
chaos that agglomerated at first in the American party 
came the Republican party. The struggle continued with 
wavering results till the town cast a majority of its votes 
for a Republican candidate for every important office. 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1856 TO 1861. 153 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1856 TO 1861. 

In 1856, March 12, the town voted to use the check-list 
in balloting for selectmen. The selectmen were authorized 
to lay out $75 in clearing the town-farm meadow. 

The presidential campaign of 1856 was peculiarly active 
and enthusiastic. The Democratic party supported James 
Buchanan, a man of wide repute as a public official and 
statesman. The Republican party had come into existence 
as a national organization, and was both young and vigor- 
ous. John C. Fremont, its candidate, bore a reputation as 
an explorer and soldier that awakened great acclamations. 
The presidential ballot in Hopkinton, on November 4, gave 
286 votes to Democratic electors, and 280 to Republican 
ones. In this ballot we see the evidence of the aggressive 
energy of the new party that was fast pushing the old one 
to the wall. 

In 1857, March 10, the town voted for only two candi- 
dates for governor of the state. Thus, in state affairs, had 
the prevailing contest narrowed down to an issue between 
Democracy and Republicanism. 

On the next day the town voted to dispense with the 
check-list in balloting for selectmen. The subject of rebuild- 
ing Tyler's bridge that season, or of preparing to rebuild it 
the next season, was referred to the discretion of the select- 
men, who were authorized to hire a sum of money not ex- 
ceeding $2,500 for the purpose. 

The sum of $200 of the principal of the literary fund was 
ordered to be appropriated for the benefit of district schools 
the current year. This was the beginning of a practice 
that in the end appropriated all of the accumulated literary 
fund. 

In 1858, March 10, the town voted that when the county 
of Merrimack began a- suit against the town of Hopkinton, 
for the support of Benjamin Rowell, confined at the state 
insane asylum, the selectmen should defend the same. 

On the 23d of the next September, the selectmen were 
authorized to build a bridge across the Blackwater river, 
near the house of Enoch J. Chase, similar in plan and equal 
in material and workmanship to that over the river at Con- 
toocook, other minor particulars being described, and they 



154 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

were authorized to hire a sum not exceeding 8400 for the 
purpose. 

In 1859, March 9, James Hoyt was chosen an agent of 
the town to defend the suit of the County of Merrimack 
against the town of Hopkinton for the support of Benjamin 
Rowell. In this suit the county was defeated. We shall 
mention Benjamin Rowell more at length hereafter. 

In 1860, there was a hard struggle for a representative to 
the General Court. James M. Burnham led the Demo- 
cratic forces till the second day of the town-meeting, or 
March 14. Four ballots were cast without a choice, and 
then the Democrats rallied to Ira A. Putney, who was 
chosen on the fifth ballot. The Republican candidate 
was Isaac H. Chandler. John M. Bailey was then chosen 
a second representative by the Democrats on the first bal- 
lot. 

Town-meeting having been adjourned from Wednesday, 
March 14, to Friday, March 16, it was further adjourned 
to Saturday, March 17; when, with other business, the town 
voted to widen on the west side, for the breadth of a rod, 
the highway from the foot of the hill south of the house of 
John Foss to the house of Moses Hoyt, 2d. This act was 
in view of the frequent accumulations of snow in this sec- 
tion of road in winters. 

On the 19th day of June, a town-meeting was held to 
consider what action ought to be taken in view of the pos- 
sible local prevalence of the cattle disease known as pleuro- 
pneumonia, which was prevailing in other parts of the state, 
particularly in Hillsborough. The selectmen were author- 
ized to enforce any law that the legislature passed in rela- 
tion to the disease, and, in view of the danger of cattle run- 
ning at large, the same officers were requested to put in 
force the by-laws of the town in relation to the subject of 
such cattle. The concern for pleuro-pneumonia proved to 
be only an alarm, for there was no case reported in the 
town, as we believe. 

The presidential election on the the 6th of November 
was somewhat notable in its result. The Republican 
ticket carried the day by one majority. The long Demo- 
cratic ascendancy in presidential matters was broken. Yet 
the Democratic party was divided into the Douglas and the 
Breckinridge factions. The vote stood thus : Lincoln elec- 
tors, 253 ; Douglas, 169 ; Breckinridge, 83. 




I^p-r&^k^-^ 



THE GREAT REBELLION. 155 

In 1861, March 12, the town voted once for a represent- 
ative without a choice. The next day, four ballots were 
cast without a choice, and the contest was abandoned. The 
leading Democratic candidate was Ira A. Putney ; the 
Republican, Warren M. Kempton. The state of the politi- 
cal atmosphere was clouded by secession, and the Demo- 
crats could not rally their forces to the standard of one 
candidate. The meeting was adjourned to Thursday, and 
again to Friday, 15th, when the routine of the annual town 
business was completed. 

On Friday, the surveyors of highways were required to 
return their warrants to the selectmen on or before the 1st 
day of July, with their doings inscribed thereon, on the 
year after the expiration of their office. The old surveyors 
were required to return their warrants to those then in 
office, and who were to return them to the selectmen. 

The town voted to dispense with the liquor agent. The 
selectmen were authorized to consult with the citizens and 
make such improvements upon the town hall as they 
thought proper, and build a suitable desk for the use of the 
town. 

The intelligent reader is already aware that the year 
1861 ushered in a series of martial events that made a 
prominent chapter in the history of our country. The part 
Hopkinton bore in these events will form the subject of our 
next chapter. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

THE GREAT REBELLION. 

The civil war of 1861 found the citizens of this town in 
a state of mind common to a large part of our county's 
population. So long a time had passed since the people of 
our town had taken any active interest in war, the ex- 
perience had become regarded as a comparative impossi- 
bility, as it had been conceived that the threatened contest, 
if occurring, would be of the shortest possible duration. 
However, when, on the 12th of April, the bombardment of 
Fort Sumter made the issue of war inevitable, the ardor of 
our populace became deeply aroused. Bells were rung, 



156 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

flags suspended, processions formed, and speeches made. 
One evening, soon after the fall of Sumter, an effigy of 
Jefferson Davis was hung and burned in the village square. 
At or about the same time, a procession, headed by the 
Hopkinton cornet band, marched through the principal 
streets of the village, halting at the residences or business 
places of prominent citizens, who made brief patriotic ad- 
dresses. Capt. Herman H. Green, Judge Horace Chase, 
Prof. Dyer H. Sanborn, and Rev. Edwin W. Cook thus 
spoke to the people, who vociferously applauded every 
specially patriotic utterance. The next Sunday, in the 
afternoon, the Rev. Mr. Cook, of the Congregational church, 
preached a sermon upon the issues of the day. 

The call of the President of the United States, issued on 
the 15th of the month, asking for an army of 75,000 
volunteers, confirmed the patriotism of many of our young 
men, and they soon began to enlist into the ranks. The 
first man enlisted in the town was James B. Silver ; he was 
enlisted in Dea. Nathaniel Evan's store, where Charles 
French now trades, by Joab N. Patterson, of Contoocook, 
who had himself recently enlisted and taken out authori- 
tative papers as a recruiting officer. Other parties from 
this town had enlisted in Concord. Patterson enlisted a 
considerable number of men, who made a rendezvous at 
Contoocook, till they were ordered to the camp of the 
Second Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteers, at Ports- 
mouth. On the day of their departure, they were escorted 
through the main street of the village by the Hopkinton 
cornet band, which also accompanied them to Portsmouth. 
A large number of people witnessed their departure with 
evident grief for the occasion and the absence. 

During the progress of the war, Hopkinton did its part 
in maintaining the cause of the Union. Subsequent to the 
beginning of hostilities, one of its first public acts was to 
adopt the state law, passed June session of the legislature 
of 1861, authorizing the towns to provide assistance for the 
families of volunteers; — this was done on the 29th of 
October. 

The summer of 1862 witnessed a new impetus in local 
military affairs. On the 4th of August of that year the 
President issued a call for 300,000 men for a service of nine 
months. Under two calls of July 1861, and July, 1862, the 
government had already made demands for 600,000 men 



THE GREAT REBELLION. 157 

for three years. Impelled by these calls, at a public meet- 
ing held on the 26th of August, 1862, the town voted to 
pay #150 each to all soldiers who had enlisted for the war 
since the last call for troops ; to all who, subsequently to 
the first of August, had enlisted to fill up the same, $200 
each ; to all who would enlist for nine months, $75 each ; 
and to all who would from that day enlist for three years, 
or during the war, $200 each. The same day a vote was 
passed to assist the families of soldiers to an extent not 
exceeding twelve dollars a week, a sum equivalent to four 
dollars for a wife and the same amount to each of not more 
than two children. Soon after, Patriek H. Stark and 
Daniel E. Howard were made enlisting officers. On the 
2d of October of the same year, another vote was passed, 
giving $150 to each man enlisting for nine months, or $200 
each if the entire quota was filled. 

The year 1864 was one of great military activity in the 
United States. The resolution to maintain the integrity of 
the Union became as determined as the urgency of the 
situation was great. On the 1st of February of that year, 
a call was issued for 500,000 men for three years, a part of 
whom were to be credited to a draft, which was ordered 
under a call of the 17th of October, 1863, for 300,000 men, 
and which draft was not completed, owing to a defect in 
the law under which it was made. The call of February 
1, therefore, formed a total of all calls after the vear 1862. 
On the 14th of March, 1864, an additional call for 200,000 
men was issued, to be succeeded by a call for 500,000 on 
the 18th of July, and by another and a last one for 300,000 
men on the 19th of December of the same year. 

The urgency of the national situation during the memor- 
able year of 1864 induced a spirited activity among the 
people of New Hampshire. Such words as were uttered 
by Governor Gilmore in his proclamation of the 16th of 
July fully awakened the people of the different towns to a 
practical comprehension of the situation. " Our quota," 
said the governor, "is to be filled by volunteering, if we 
can, — by drafting, if we must." In view of the existing 
crisis, the town of Hopkinton took formal action on the 
4th of June, voting to raise $40,000 for the encouragemeut 
of voluntary enlistments, and also to pay $300 each to 
drafted men or their substitutes. On the 8th of November, 
the town voted to authorize the selectmen to enlist or 



158 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

otherwise procure soldiers in anticipation of- any call, this 
being the last public action in relation to providing means 
for paying soldiers during the war, which closed in 1865. 
The liberality of the town is established by the fact that the 
amount of money authorized to be appropriated for the uses 
of this war, exclusive of sums paid to soldier's families, 
amounted to $102,540. 

The responses to the appeals of the town for volunteers 
were fully as ready and prompt as could be expected in a 
town of the same population and character. Only a few 
men were drafted into the army of the United States. We 
think, also, that none of our people were compelled by the 
draft to take a position in the ranks of war. Of those 
entering the army many returned, but, also, many died. 
Some of the bodies of the dead were brought home and 
interred, but others sleep in distant or unknown grounds. 
The memor3 r of the dead is cherished in the hearts of a 
grateful people. 

The report of the adjutant-general of New Hampshire 
for 1865, Vol. II, thus states the summary of our war 
record : Enrolment, April 30, 1865, 180 ; total of quota 
under all calls from July, 1863, 86 ; total credits by enlist- 
ments or drafts, 115 ; surplus, 29. 

The following is a list of soldiers, apparently actual resi- 
dents of Hopkinton, who served in the war of 1861 in New 
Hampshire troops : 

SECOND KEGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

FIELD AND STAFF. 

Joab N. Patterson, Lieutenant-Colonel, commissioned, June 21, 
1864 ; promoted to Colonel, January 10, 1865 ; appointed Brevet 
Brigadier-General, U. S. Volunteers, March 13, 1865 ; mustered 
out as Colonel, December 19, 1865. 

LINE OFFICERS. 

Company B. 

Frank W. Morgan, First Lieutenant, commissioned, June 24, 
1864 ; promoted to Captain, April 1, 1865 ; see infra. 

Charles Holmes, Second Lieutenant, commissioned, July 1, 1861 ; 
promoted to Captain, 17th U. S. Infantry, November 11th, 1861 ; 
see infra. 



THE GREAT REBELLION. 159 

Company C. 

Samuel F. Patterson, First Lieutenant, commissioned, September 
1, 1865 ; mustered out, December 19, 1865 ; see infra. 

"William Montgomery, Second Lieutenant, commissioned, June 18, 
1863 ; transferred to Company H ; see infra. 

Company E. 

Charles W. Dimond, Second Lieutenant, commissioned, October 
17, 1865 ; mustered out, December, 19, 1865 ; see infra. 

Company F. 

Frank W. Morgan, Captain, commissioned, April 1, 1865 ; 
mustered out, December 19, 1865 ; see supra. 

Company H. 

Joab N. Patterson, First Lieutenant, commissioned, June 4, 1861 ; 
promoted to Captain, May 23, 1862 ; wounded at Gettysburg, 
July 3, 1863 ; promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, June 21, 1864 ; see 
supra. 

William Montgomery, Second Lieutenant, transferred from Com- 
pany C ; mustered out, June 21, 1864 ; see supra. 

Non-Commissioned Staff. 

Charles W. Dimond, Commissary-Sergeant, appointed, June 10, 
1865 ; promoted to Second Lieutenant, October 17, 1865 ; see 
supra. 

Non-Commissioned Officers and Pricates. 

E. "Western Boutwell, Company B, mustered in August 9, 1862 ; 
discharged for disability, at Concord, March 29, 1863. 

Proctor Collins, Company H, mustered in, June 5, 1861 ; mus- 
tered out, June 21, 1864. 

Hiram Cutler, Company B, mustered in, September 17, 1861 ; 
discharged on account of wounds, December 14, 1862. 

Johnson N. Danforth, Company B, mustered in, September 17, 
1861 ; wounded, August 29, 1862 ; died of wounds, October 4, 
1862. 

John Danforth, Company B, mustered in, August 9, 1862 ; 
wounded severely and missing, July 2, 1863 ; gained from miss- 
ing ; mustered out, June 7, 1865. 

Charles H. Danforth, Company B, mustered in, August 9, 1862 ; 
mustered out, June 6, 1865. 

John S. Daniels, Company B, mustered in, August 9, 1862 » 
wounded, June 3, 1864 ; mustered out, May 17, 1865.- 



160 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Charles W. Dimond, Company C, mustered in, January 27, 1864 ; 
promoted to Commissary-Sergeant, June 10, 1865 ; see supra. 

Levi W. Dimond, Company H, mustered in, September 2, 1862 ; 
mustered out, June 9, 1865. 

Joshua Downing, Company H, mustered in, June 5, 1861 ; dis- 
charged for disability, August 1, 1861. 

James Foster, Company H, mustered in, August 12, 1862 ; died 
of disease at Falmouth, Va., January 26, 1863. 

William H. Foster, Company H, mustered in, June 5, 1861 ; died 
at Hopkinton, April 11, 1864. 

William H. Goodrich, Company H, mustered in, June 5, 1861 ; 
discharged for disability, August 1, 1861. 

Alfred S. Hastings, Company B, mustered in, June 1, 1861 ; 
missing, July 2, 1863 ; gained from missing ; mustered out, June 
21, 1864. 

Charles Holmes, Company B, First Sergeant, mustered in, June 1, 
1861 ; promoted to Second Lieutenant, July 1, 1861 ; see supra. 

Francis S. Hoyt, Company B, mustered in, August 12, 1862 ; 
captured, July 2, 1863 ; died in the hands of the enemy, November 
5, 1864. 

Burleigh K. Jones, Company B, mustered in, September 20, 1861 ; 
died of wounds, June 25, 1862. 

Luther D. Jones, Company B, mustered in, September 1, 1861 ; 
mustered out, August 24, 1864. 

Willard H. Kempton, Company B, mustered in, August 11, 1862 ; 
wounded, June 3, 1864 ; promoted to Corporal, July 1, 1864 ; 
mustered out, June 9, 1865. 

Charles A. Milton, Company B, Sergeant, mustered in, June 1, 
1861 ; appointed a Medical Cadet, October 1, 1861 ; died May, 
1862, at Mound City, 111. 

William Montgomery, Company H, Corporal, mustered in, June 
5, 1861 ; promoted First Sergeant ; wounded severely, July 2, 1863 ; 
promoted Second Lieutenant, June 18, 1863 ; see supra. 

Timothy G. Moores, Company B, mustered in, August 9, 1862 ; 
discharged for disability, March 14, 1863. 

Frank W. Morgan, Company B, mustered in, September 20, 
1861 ; promoted to Corporal, August 9, 1862 ; promoted to Ser- 
geant, July 1, 1863 ; reenlisted, January 1, 1864 ; see supra. 

Frederick H. Nichols, Company B, mustered in, Sept. 20, 1861 ; 
wounded slightly, July 2, 1863 ; mustered out, August 24, 1864. 

Lucius P. Noyes, Company B, mustered in, September 17, 1861 ; 
missing, July 2, 1863 ; promoted to Corporal, July 1, 1864 ; 
promoted to Sergeant, August, 1864; mustered out, September, 
16,1864. 



THE GREAT REBELLION. 161 

William A. Patterson, Company B, mustered in, August 9, 1862 ;' 
promoted to Corporal, July 1, 1864 ; mustered out, June 7, 
1865. 

Samuel F. Patterson, Company B, mustered in, September I7 y 
1861 ; mustered out, September 17, 1864 ; commissioned First 
Lieutenant of Company C ; see supra. 

Thomas W. Piper, Company B, mustered in, September 17, 1861 ; 
promoted to Sergeant ; died of wounds, August 19, 1864. 

John C. Rand, Company B, mustered in, August 11, 1862 ; 
killed at Bull Run, Va., August 29, 1862. 

Lewis N. Relation, Company C, mustered in, June 1, 1861 ; died 
of wounds, July 26, 1861. 

Martin P. Rowell, Company E, mustered in June 3, 1861 ; dis- 
charged for disability, August 2, 1861. 

Abram M. Rowell, Company E, mustered in, June 3, 1861 ; 
reenlisted, January 1, 1864 ; discharged at Frederick sburg, Va., 
December 4, 1865. 

Jolin G. Rowell, Company G, wagoner. 

Adoniram J. Sawyer, Company H, mustered in, June 5, 1861 ; 
promoted to Corporal, January 1, 1864 ; mustered out, June 21, 
1864. 

James B. Silver, Company H, Corporal, mustered in, June 5, 
1861 ; discharged for disability, November 19, 1863. 

George H. Straw, Company H, mustered in, June 5, 1861 ; 
missing, July 2, 1863 ; mustered out, June 21, 1864. 

Henry C. Tyler, Company B, mustered in, September 17, 1861 ; 
discharged for disability at Concord, July 9, 1863 ; reenlisted, 
January 1, 1864 ; promoted to Corporal, January 1, 1864 ; pro- 
moted to Sergeant, July 10, 1864 ; promoted to First Sergeant, 
December 10, 1864 ; promoted to First Lieutenant, November 1, 
1865 ; mustered out as First Sergeant, December 19, 1865. 

Moses C. Tyler, Company B, mustered in, September 17, 1861 ; 
discharged, July 9, 1863. 

Richard A. Walker, Company E, mustered in, June 3, 1861 ; 
wounded, May 5, 1862 ; died of wounds, July 20, 1862. 

SIXTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

PRIVATES. 

James M. Hook, Company I, mustered in, November 28, 1861 ; 
discharged for disability at Newport News, Va., September 23, 
1862. 

11 



162 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Charles H. Smart, Company I, mustered in, November 28, 1861 ; 
reenlisted, December 19, 1853 ; wounded, May 12, 1864 ; pro- 
moted to Corporal ; promoted to Sergeant, July 1, 1865 ; mustered 
out, July 17, 1865. 

SEVENTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

LINE OFFICERS. 

Company D. 

James M. Chase, Captain, commissioned, November 6, 1861 ; 
wounded slightly, February 20, 1864 ; mustered out, December 
22, 1864. 

Grovenor A. Curtice, Captain, commissioned, December 22,1864; 
mustered out, July 20, 1865 ; see infra. 

Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates. 

Herman Burt, Company D, mustered in, November 6, 1861 ; 
discharged for disability, July 17, 1862. 

Lucius H. Chandler, Company E, mustered in, November 7, 
1861 ; reenlisted, February 28, 1864 ; died of disease at Hopkin- 
ton, April 19, 1864. 

Grovenor A. Curtice, Company D, mustered in, August 21,1862 ; 
promoted to First Sergeant ; promoted to Captain, December 22, 
1864 ; see supra. 

Charles B. Danf orth, Company D, mustered in, August 21, 1862 ; 
wounded and captured, Olustee, Fla., February 20, 1864 ; exchanged, 
May, 1865 ; discharged at Goldsborough, N. C, July 20, 1865. 

Gilbert F. Dustin, Company D, mustered in, November 6, 1861 ; 
promoted to First Sergeant, November 6, 1861 ; missing at Fort 
Wagner, S. C, July 18, 1863. 

Jonas Foster, Company E, Corporal, mustered in, November 7, 
1861 ; promoted to Sergeant, June 5, 1864 ; reduced to ranks ; pro- 
moted to Sergeant, August 1, 1864 ; mustered out, December 22, 
1864. 

Thomas B. Heath, Company H, mustered in, September 10, 1862 ; 
promoted to Corporal ; reduced to ranks ; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Warren E. Kimball, Company E, mustered in, August 21, 1862 ; 
wounded and captured at Fort Wagner, S. C, July 18, 1863 ; died 
at Charleston, S.C., July 22, 1863. 

Warren Lewis, Company H, mustered in, August 30, 1862 ; 
transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps, March 29, 1864 ; discharged 
at Hilton Head, S. C, September 10, 1864. 



THE GREAT REBELLION. 163 

Edmund D. Lewis, Company E, mustered in, November 7, 1861 
killed at Morris Island, S. C, July 28, 1863. 

Joseph C. Lewis, Company H, mustered in, August 30, 1862 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Warren F. Locke, Company D, mustered in, August 21, 1862 
promoted to Corporal ; promoted to Sergeant, May 1, 1865 ; muster 
ed out, June 26, 1865. 

Charles A. Morrill, Company E, mustered in, August 21, 1862 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Joseph C. Relation, Company H, mustered in, August 30, 1862 
died of wounds, August 6, 1863. 

Onville Upton, Company D, mustered in, November 6, 1861 
promoted to Corporal, June 2, 1863 ; wounded, May 10, 1864 
mustered out, December 22, 1864. 

EIGHTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

Field and Staff Officers. 

Charles A. Moulton, Assistant-Surgeon, commissioned, September 
7, 1863 ; promoted to Surgeon, November 25, 1863 ; died at St. 
James Hospital, New Orleans, La., September 24, 1864. 

NINTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

Privates. 

Martin T. Crowell, Company B, mustered in, July 18, 1862 
mustered out, June 10, 1865. 

Francis R. Moore, Company B, mustered in, July 12, 1862 
mustered out, June 10, 1865. 

Alonzo Rowell, Company B, mustered in, July 12, 1862 
mustered out, June 10, 1865. 

ELEVENTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

Privates. 

William H. Raymond, Company D, mustered in, August 29, 
1862 ; discharged for disability, March 30, 1863. 

George L. Raymond, Company D, mustered in, August 29, 1862 ; 
wounded, December 13, 1862 ; wounded severely, May 12, 1864 ; 
died of wounds, May 18, 1864. 



164 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

THIRTEENTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

Privates. 

George W. Nichols, Company C, mustered in, September 19, 
1862 ; discharged near Portsmouth, Va., October 18, 1863. 

FOURTEENTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

LINE OFFICERS. 

Company A. 

George F. Blanchard, Captain, commissioned, November 22, 1864 ; 
mustered out, July 8, 1865 ; see infra. 

Company C. 

George F. Blanchard, Second Lieutenant, commissioned, Septem- 
ber 22, 1863 ; promoted to First Lieutenant, February 19, 1864 ; 
see supra. 

Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates. 

George M. Barnard, Company H, mustered in, September 24, 
1862 ; promoted to Corporal, January 20, 1864 ; wounded slightly, 
September 19, 1864 ; promoted to Sergeant, October 1, 1864 ; 
mustered out, July 8, 1865. 

George F. Blanchard, Company H, Sergeant, mustered in, Sep- 
tember 24, 1862 ; see supra. 

Henry H. Blanchard, Company H, mustered in, September 24, 
1862 ; mustered out, July 8, 1865. 

Samuel G. Bradbury, Company H, mustered in, September 24, 
1862 ; discharged for disability at Portsmouth Grove, R. I., October 
12, 1863. 

George O. Colby, Company H, mustered in, September 24, 1862 
mustered out, June 24, 1865. 

Daniel Downing, Company H, mustered in, October 14, 1862 
died of disease at Baltimore, Md., February 6, 1865. 

Moses K. Eaton, Company H, mustered in, September 24, 1862 
died of disease at Washington, D. C, September 21, 1863. 

Arthur T. Goodrich, Company H, Corporal, mustered in, Sep- 
tember 24, 1862 ; died at Washington, D. C, September 12, 1863. 

David Harrington, Company H, mustered in, September 24, 
1862 ; died of disease at Poolsville, Md., February 23, 1863. 

Hiram Nichols, Company H, mustered in, September 24, 1862 ; 
died at Washington, D. C, January 9, 1864. 

Marsell Sourell, Company C, mustered in, September 22, 1862 ; 
deserted at Poolsville, Md., February 3, 1863. 



THE GREAT REBELLION. 165 

SIXTEENTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

LINE OFFICERS. 

Company D. 

Daniel E. Howard, Captain, commissioned, November 4, 1862 ; 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Nonr Commissioned Officers and Privates. 

Charles Ash, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 ; died 
at New Orleans, La., February 15, 1863. 

Augustus Barnard, Company D, Sergeant, mustered in, October 
24, 1862 ; mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Otis M. Brown, Company D, Musician, mustered in, October 24 
1862 ; mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Orrin Chase, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

George E. Crowell, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

George A. Currier, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Ira K. Dimond, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Eben H. Dustin, Company D, mustered in, October, 24, 1862 
died at Baton Rouge, La., May 6, 1863. 

Hanson D. Emerson, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Byron E. Kempton, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
discharged for disability at Concord, April 22, 1863. 

Thomas Kenniston, Company D, Corporal, mustered in, October 
24. 1862 ; mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Charles N. Kezar, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 ; 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Newton G. McAlpine, Company D, Wagoner, mustered in, 
October 24, 1862 ; mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

George McKensie, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 ; 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

George W. Mills, Company D, Corporal, mustered in, October 
24, 1862 ; mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

James F. Mills, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 ; 
deserted at Concord, November 20, 1862 ; apprehended ; transferred 
to Company D, Fourteenth Regiment, N. H. V. ; died at Natchez, 
Miss., January 29, 1864. 



166 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Jacob M. Morrill, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Henry E. Moulton, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
died of disease at Butte de la Rose, La., May 14, 1863. 

Edward G. Runnels, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Horace Smart, Company E, mustered in, October 23, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

George W. Smart, Company E, mustered in, November 21, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Brackett B. Weeks, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
died at New Orleans, La., June 10, 1863. 

William H. Weeks, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

N. Cogswell Weeks, Company D, mustered in, October 24, 1862 
mustered out, August 20, 1863. 

Jacob Whittier, Company D, musician, mustered in, October 24, 
1862 ; died at Hopkinton, August 18, 1863. 

EIGHTEENTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. 

LINE OFFICERS. 

Company G. 

Clarion H. Kimball, First Lieutenant, commissioned, January 24, 
1865 ; promoted to Captain, July 29, 1865 ; not mustered ; mus- 
tered out as First Lieutenant, July 29, 1865. 

Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates. 

David M. Chase, Company E, mustered in, September 26, 1864 ; 
mustered out, June 10, 1865. 

Edward F. Chase, Company B, mustered in, September 13, 1864 ; 
promoted to Corporal, January 1, 1865 ; mustered out, June 10, 
1865. 

Hiram Cutler, Company A, Corporal, mustered in, September 
13, 1864 ; mustered out, June 10, 1865. 

Charles E. Harrington, Company A, Corporal, mustered in, 
September 13, 1864 ; promoted to Sergeant; mustered out, June 10, 
1865. 

Timothy G. Moores, Company H, Corporal, mustered in, 
February 21, 1865 ; mustered out, July 29, 1865. 

John F. Mudgett, Company D, mustered in, September 14, 1864 ; 
mustered out, June 10, 1865. 



THE GREAT REBELLION. 167 

Frank Stevens, Company B, mustered in, September 14, 1864 ; 
mustered out, June 10, 1865. 

Moses C. Tyler, Company B, Corporal, mustered in, September 
13, 1864 : reduced to ranks, November 22, 1864 ; mustered out, 
June 10, 1865. 

Edson Upton, Company D, mustered in, September 19, 1864 ; 
mustered out, June 10, 1865. 



FIRST REGIMENT OF CAVALRY. 

Privates. 

Alonzo Burbank, Troop L, mustered in, January 18, 1862 
promoted to Corporal ; mustered out, January 19, 1865. 

William H. Downing, Troop L, mustered in, February 8, 1864 
mustered out, July 15, 1865. 

John H. Kimball, Troop G, mustered in, August 16, 1864 
mustered out, June 5, 1865. 

Byron E. Kempton, Troop G, mustered in, August 16, 1864 
mustered out, June 5, 1865. 

FIRST REGIMENT HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates. 

Samuel E. Crowell, Company L, mustered in, October 4, 1864 ; 
transferred to Company A, June 10, 1865 ; mustered out, Septem- 
ber 11, 1865. 

Hanson D. Emerson, Company E, Corporal, mustered in, Sep- 
tember 5, 1864 ; reduced to ranks, January 31, 1865 ; promoted to 
Corporal, March 1, 1865 : mustered out, June 15, 1865. 

George W. Mills, Company E, mustered in, September 5, 1864 
mustered out, June 15, 1865. 

Joseph P. Morrill, Company B, mustered in, August 20, 1863 
mustered out, September 11, 1865. 

Adoniram J. Sawyer, Company K, mustered in, September 17 
1864 ; mustered out, June 15, 1865. 

Frederick P. Scott, Company E, mustered in, September 5, 1864 
mustered out, June 15, 1865. 

Horace Smart, Company E, mustered in, September 5, 1864 
mustered out, June 15, 1865. 

William S. Smart, Company E, mustered in, September 5, 1864 
mustered out, June 15, 1865. 



168 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

George H. Straw, Company I, Corporal, mustered in, September 
7, 1864 ; reduced to ranks, October 5, 1864 ; mustered out, June 6, 
1865. 

Barlow Upton, Company G, mustered in, August 31, 1864 ; 
transferred to Company E ; mustered out, June 15, 1865. 

George N. Watkins, Company E, Sergeant, mustered in, Septem- 
ber 5, 1864 ; mustered out, June 15, 1865. 

FIRST REGIMENT OF U. S. SHARPSHOOTERS. 

COMPANY E (ORGANIZED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.) 

Private. 

George N. Watkins, mustered in, September 9, 1861 ; discharged 
for disability, August 9, 1862. 

SECOND REGIMENT OF U. S. SHARPSHOOTERS. 

COMPANIES F AND G (ORGANIZED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.) 

Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates. 

Henry H. Crowell, Company G, mustered in, August 27, 1862 ; 
transferred to Company H, 5th N. H. V., January 30, 1865 ; 
mustered out, June 6, 1865. 

Gilman K. Crowell, Company E, mustered in, August 28, 1862 ; 
promoted to Corporal, March 1, 1864 ; wounded slightly, May 6, 
1864 ; transferred to Company K ; discharged, October 9, 1864, 
near Petersburg, Va. 

Lewis E. Crowell, Company E, mustered in, August 28, 1862 ; 
killed in action, near Spottsylvania, Va., May 12, 1864. 

William H. Goodrich, Company F, mustered in, November 26, 
1861 ; reenlisted, December 21, 1863 : transferred to Company H, 
5th N. H. V., January 30, 1865 ; absent, June 28, 1865 ; no dis- 
charge furnished. 

Clarion H. Kimball, Company E, mustered in, August 27, 1862 ; 
promoted to Corporal; discharged to accept promotion, October 

16, 1864. See 18th Regiment, Company G. 

Joseph P. Law, Company G, mustered in, December 12, 1861 
mustered out, December 12, 1864. 

Joseph Mills, Company F, mustered in, November 26, 1861 
discharged for disability, March 24, 1862. 

Alfred A. Rollins, Company E, mustered in, August 30, 1862 
wounded severely, May 3, 1863 ; transferred to V. R. C, October 

17, 1864 ; mustered out, June 29, 1865. 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1862 TO 1872. 169 

Joseph S. Thompson, Company F, mustered in, November 26, 
1861 ; promoted to Corporal ; reenlisted, December 21, 1863 ; 
wounded, June 5, 1864 ; transferred to Company K, 5th N. H. V., 
January 30, 1865 ; transferred to Company F ; mustered out, July 
8, 1865. 

Charles F. Whittier, Company F, mustered in, November 26, 
1861 ; died, December 31, 1861. 

The following soldiers of this town were in the troops 
of other states : 

Fifth Maine Infantry. Frederick G. Sanborn. 

Fifth Massachusetts Infantry. Horatio E. Clough. 

Eleventh Massachusetts Infantry. Jonathan G. Emerson. 

Twenty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry. Edgar Clough. 

Second Massachusetts Light Battery. Ezra Folsom. 

One hundred and forty-second Illinois Infantry. Joseph B. Dustin. 

In the foregoing list of soldiers, no account is made of 
non-resident substitutes. The data of soldiers in New 
Hampshire regiments, or United States troops recruited in 
this state, are mainly derived from the reports of the 
Adjutant-General of New Hampshire. 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1862 TO 1872. 

In 1862, March 12, the town voted to adopt the provi- 
sions of chapter 2494 of the Pamphlet Laws of the state in 
reference to vaccination. The implied law was ■ approved 
July 3, 1861 ; it related to the exclusion of children who 
had not been vaccinated, or who had never had the small- 
pox, from the public schools. 

On the 14th day of the next May, the town voted to 
build a wooden bridge, on stone abutments, over the Con- 
toocook river, on the new road to Henniker, and the select- 
men were instructed to decide upon the plan of the bridge 
and receive proposals for building it. They were also em- 
powered to hire a sum of money not exceeding $2,500 for 
the purpose. This bridge was to be in place of a stone 
bridge carried away by a freshet in the spring of 1852. The 



170 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

town at first refused to replace the stone bridge, on the 
plea of insufficient travel ; but a suit being instituted in Hen- 
niker, the court ordered a new bridge. 

In 1863, March 11, the town voted to raise $3,000 for 
defraying town charges and expenses for the ensuing year. 
This and other increased sums for the same purpose resulted 
from the existence of the war of 1861. 

On the subject of instructing the representatives at the 
General Court to oppose the purchase of a county farm, the 
town voted affirmatively. The sense of the voters on the 
subject of purchasing such a farm was taken. The yeas 
were 4 ; the nays, 163. 

In 1864, March 9, the town voted to adopt the provi- 
sions of chapter 2721 of the Pamphlet Laws relating to 
school text-books. This act provided that all books then 
in use should continue in use three years, and all new 
books introduced should be in use three years after their 
introduction, unless the town voted otherwise. Any super- 
intending school-committee violating this act should forfeit 
$10 for the use of the schools, and any legal voter could 
complain of a violation. 

The town voted to dispense with a liquor agent. 

In 1865, March 15, the town voted to raise $8,000 for 
town charges and expenses. 

On the same day, the town voted that the selectmen, as 
agents of the town, should examine the title of a piece of 
land, offered by David B. Story and Franklin D. Frost, for 
a burying-yard, and if found good, to purchase the lot at a 
cost of $300, the tract containing about 10 acres. * This was 
in pursuance of a recommendation of a committee of the 
town chosen on the 8th day of the previous November, and 
consisting • of Horace Chase, Samuel S. Page, and John S. 
Kimball. By vote of the town, the moderator appointed a 
committee of five to lay out the lots and avenues of the new 
cemetery. The committee were Horace Chase, John S. 
Kimball, Elmer B. Dunbar, Isaac Story, and Isaac H. 
Chandler. These acts relate to the cemetery east of Hop- 
kinton village. 

The .town voted not to purchase a county poor-farm. 

In 1866, March 14, the town voted to raise $5,500 for 
town charges and expenses. 

The selectmen were authorized to build a fence around 
the new cemetery near Hopkinton village, or rather such a 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1862 TO 1872. 171 

part as they thought necessary, and as near the plan 
received of Horace Chase as they thought best. 

In 1867, March 13, the town authorized the selectmen to 
take lumber from the town farm to fence the new burying- 
yard. Upon the subject of abolishing pauper settlements in 
town, the vote stood — 14 ayes, 239 nays. 

On the 7th of the following August, the town voted to 
compensate those, or their heirs, who enlisted in the late 
war under the expectation of bounties implied by the act of 
the town on the 26th of August, 1862, and who had not 
been paid. The sum of $4,000 for the proposed object was 
appropriated, the selectmen being authorized to hire the 
same. 

In 1869, March 11, the selectmen were instructed to 
appoint a liquor agent. They were also directed to procure 
two more ballot-boxes, so that state and county officers, 
representatives to the General Court, and selectmen could 
all be voted for at one act of balloting. On the 9th of the 
next November, the town voted upon the proposition to 
establish a state police, according to an act of the General 
Court of July 8 of the same year. The vote stood — yea, 
30; no, 69. 

In 1870, March 9, the town raised $5,000 for current ex- 
penses ; voted to dispense with a liquor agent ; to find its debt 
in 5 — 20 bonds, to an amount not exceeding $25,000, said 
bonds to be of denominations not less than $100 and not 
exceeding $1,000, at a rate not exceeding 6 per cent, in gold 
semi-annually, the interest to be paid at the office of the 
town treasurer. John F. Jones, Josiah B. Richardson, and 
James M. Connor were chosen commissioners to prepare, 
negotiate, and sell said bonds. The town also pledged 
itself to pay them. 

In 1871, March 14, the town voted upon the proposition 
to sell its town farm. The vote stood — 75 in favor of, and 
98 against, the proposition. 

In 1872, March 12, the annual town-meeting assembled, 
but owing to defects in the notice, adjournment was taken 
after voting for state and county officers, and for represent- 
atives. A subsequent meeting was called for the 28th of 
March, when the town voted that the selectmen appoint a 
committee of three to dispose of the town farm, out lands, 
and personal property, with power to sell and convey the 
same. The town also voted to raise and appropriate $200 



172 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

above what the law required for the support of common 
schools. 

Subsequently to the transactions of the annual business 
of the town, the selectmen appointed Isaac Story, Joseph 
Barnard, and Ebenezer Flanders a committee to sell the 
town farm, out lands, and other property implied in the 
existence of the town pauper establishment. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

A NEW TOWN-HOUSE. 

On the early morning of the 29th of March, 1873, a con- 
flagration destroyed the Hopkinton town-house; including 
the apartments of Hopkinton academy in the upper story. 
The flame was first discovered in the middle, rear portion 
of the second story, and there being no adequate provision 
for the extinguishing of such a fire, the building was con- 
sumed. The cause of the fire is to this day unknown. At 
the time of the destruction of the town-house, there were 
suspicions of incendiarism and ascriptions to accident, but 
nothing certain was ever established. The loss of the town- 
house, however, aroused an unfortunate controversy. The 
town having two villages, there was a disposition on the part 
of some of our citizens to contest the location of the new 
town-house. Consequently, there was considerable difficul- 
ty in securing an agreement to build the needed edifice. 
On the 22d of April, 1873, a town-meeting was held on the 
site of the burned town-house, to ascertain the mind of the 
legal voters in regard to the formulated proposition to re- 
build. Local excitement ran high, and there was much 
discussion of the question, a party favoring the commit- 
ment of the whole subject. A number of citizens, led by 
Col. E. C. Bailey, of Contoocook, desired to prevent the 
erection of a new house on the old spot, or to secure two 
town buildings, one in each section of the township. How- 
ever, when it was shown, by a copy of the legal instrument 
rendered by Benjamin Wiggin, that there was a reversion 
of the property used as a site of the court-house unless the 
same was perpetually devoted to public uses, the tide of 



m 

GO 

3 

w 

o 

w 

o 




A NEW TOWN-HOUSE. 173 

opinion was turned in favor of rebuilding on the old spot. 
The town voted to appropriate 13,000 for the erection of a 
new town-house, and the three selectmen — John F. Burn- 
ham, Horace F. Edmunds, and Thomas B. Richardson — 
and Isaac Story were made a building committee. 

The local controversy refused to be quelled so easily. A 
second town-meeting was called in Contoocook on the 13th 
of May. The most important business done at this meet- 
ing was to reduce the building fund of the town-house to 
$2,500 instead of 13,000, and to place James M. Connor 
upon the building committee. This action, however, had 
but little weight, since the right to hold a town-meeting at 
any other place than the site of the town-house was ques- 
tioned, and no means had been provided for raising the 
building fund. A difficulty also arose from the fact that 
the people of the southern section of the town desired to 
place a second story upon the new building, for the accom- 
modation of a hall for general public uses, and private sub- 
scriptions were pledged for the extra constructive expenses. 
Several legal points being involved, a third town-meeting 
was called on the old site of the town-house on the 21st of 
June. It was voted at this meeting to instruct the select- 
men to borrow $2,500 to be used in the construction of a 
new town-house, and to pay the interest and one fifth of 
the principal annually till the whole debt was cancelled. 
The building committee was instructed to erect a house 
with two stories, with internal arrangements suitable for 
the general uses of the inhabitants of the town, and to en- 
ter upon the work immediately. 

On the 2d of July, Messrs. Burnham and Richardson re- 
signed their positions on the building committee, but the 
preliminary advance of the work was not hindered by their 
resignations. Soon, according to accepted proposals, the 
work of erection began. The foundation stones were 
bought in Henniker, and drawn by our own citizens. John 
W. Page had the lumber contract; Isaac K. Connor, of 
Warner, the carpenter work ; Henry Foster, of Weare, the 
mason work ; Melvin Colby, the painting. 

On the 11th of October, an attempt was made to secure 
an injunction of the proceedings. A petition signed by 
James Hoyt and four others set forth the opinion that the 
action of erection was illegal, on the ground that to satisfy 
all demands of the law the building committee should act 



174 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

in entirety. Messrs. Burnham and Richardson having re- 
signed, the implied necessity failed to exist. A bill of 
equity was framed, and application made to Chief-Justice 
Jonathan E. Sargent to grant a temporary injunction, con- 
straining the acting members of the building committee 
from proceeding with the work of erection. Upon the hear- 
ing, however, the chief-justice held that all the proceedings 
of the town in relation to the proposed erection of the 
town-house were legal, and that the majority of the com- 
mittee had full power to proceed to the work. The litiga- 
tion ended here. John Y. Mugridge, of Concord, and 
Clinton W. Stanley, of Manchester, were counsel for the 
petitioners, and Hawthorne & Greene, of Hopkinton, for the 
defendants. At this time the frame of the new house had 
progressed as far as the roof, and no suspension of work 
resulted on account of the litigation. 

The new town-house was finished in the early part of 
1874, and dedicated on the evening of the 3d of the next 
March. A large audience was in attendance. The dedi- 
cation was under the conduct of the new building commit- 
tee, who selected the following officers of the evening : 
President, Hon. Horaoe Chase ; vice-presidents, Samuel S. 
Page and George B. Hardy; secretaries, John F. Jones and 
John F. Currier ; toast-master, Dea. John M. Harvey. 
Very excellent vocal and instrumental music was provided 
hj our own local talent. Jonah Campbell's drum corps 
gave exhibition of the stirring music of '76. The pro- 
gramme of the exercises was as follows : 

Invocation — Rev. Abraham Snyder. 

Quartette singing — " When I can Read my Title Clear." 

Sentiment — " The New Town House." Response by Carlos G. 
Hawthorne, Esq. 

Sentiment — " Our Town's People." Response by Hon. Horace 
Chase. 

Music — Galop, by orchestra. 

Sentiment — " The Fertility of our Soil." Response by James M. 
Connor. 

Sentiment — " The Matrons of Hopkinton." Response by Rev. 
Mr. Snyder. 

Solo singing — " Waiting," by Miss Ella F. Underhill. 

Sentiment — " Our Hills and Vales." Response by Charles C. 
Lord. 

Sentiment — " The Daughters of Hopkinton." Response by Her- 
man W. Greene. 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1873 TO 1880. 175 

Instrumental music — " Varsovienne," by orchestra. 

Sentiment — " Hopkinton's Sons Abroad." Response by letter 
from Col. David A. Warde, Concord. 

Singing glee — " Woodland Echoes," by double quartette. 

Sentiment — " Old Hopkinton Academy." Response by letter 
from Rev. Silas Ketchum, Bristol ; also by Dea. John M. Harvey. 

Sentiment — " Ye Ancient Martial Music." Response by the drum 
corps. 

At the conclusion of the programme the audience sang 
"America," and then diverted themselves with promenad- 
ing to the music of the drum corps, continuing this exer- 
cise till a late hour in the main upper room, which was 
dul} r christened " Lyceum Hall." 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1873 TO 1880. 

In 1873, March 26, the town raised $4,000 for current 
charges and expenses. The sum of $500, in excess of what 
the law required, was raised for the support of common 
schools. The subject of the exemption of new manu- 
facturing establishments being considered, the town voted 
that a committee of two persons be chosen to act with the 
selectmen in receiving proposals from any company wishing 
to establish business in town. Ten or more legal voters 
were empowered to call a meeting in anticipation of exemp- 
tion. Edwin C. Bailey and Aaron Smith were selected for 
the committee. The subject of repairs upon the town- 
house was referred to the selectmen. On the 13th of May, 
the town voted to sell the hearse in Contoocook. 

In 1874, March 11, the town raised $3,000 for current 
charges and expenses. Upon the recommendation of the 
selectmen and committee upon the exemption of manu- 
factories from taxation, the town voted to exempt for the 
term of ten years any manufactory with a capital of 
$10,000 or more. The selectmen were authorized to 
purchase additional land for the Contoocook cemetery, and 
to build a hearse-house at the lower village. 

In 1875, March 10, the town decided to next select the 



176 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

superintending school-committee — one for three years, one 
for two years, one for one year — preserving the implied 
relation of a partial board of experience in office all the 
time. This by-law was never carried into effect. 

In 1876, March 15, the selectmen were authorized to 
purchase blinds for the town-house, and also to repair the 
fence of the Stumpfield cemetery. 

In 1877, March 14, the selectmen were authorized to 
repair the fence of the lower village cemetery. 

In 1878, March 12, the selectmen were authorized to 
purchase two hearses, one for each village, at an expense 
not to exceed 8300 each ; these are the hearses now in use 
in the town. The same officers were authorized to build 
two tramp-houses, at an expense not exceeding $200 ; these 
tramp-houses are now standing in town, one being in each 
village. The town voted to dispense with the liquor 
agent. 

On the 9th of April, the county farm building having 
been burned, a town-meeting was held with special relation 
to pauper affairs. The town voted, 151 to 9, in favor of 
supporting in town or city all paupers having a legal settle- 
ment. In regard to rebuilding the county-farm buildings, 
the vote stood 110 to 7 against the proposition. 

On the 5th of the following November, the town held its 
first biennial election under the state constitution as 
revised by the convention of 1876. The reader will here- 
after bear in mind that all state and county officers and 
representatives to the General Court, chosen in November 
biennially, assume the actual duties of their office on the 
following June. 

In 1879, March 11, the town raised only $2,000 for cur- 
rent expenses and charges. It was also voted to purchase 
a road machine at a cost of $125, and to raise $500 for the 
expense of working it. 

In 1880, the town voted to dispense with a liquor agent, 
and to enforce Sections 15 and 16 of Chapter 109 of the 
General Laws of New Hampshire relating to the sale of 
cider, lager beer, and malt liquors. These two sections of 
optional statute law were afterwards made affirmative by 
the state. 



THE FREE HIGH SCHOOL. 17T 



CHAPTER XLIX. 



THE FREE HIGH SCHOOL. 



In the 3^ear 1880, the permanent establishment of a free 
high school plan was broached in Hopkinton. The need 
of such a system was urged in behalf of the common schools, 
which were said to need the stimulus of a higher grade of 
free public instruction. The new plan was elaborated and 
proposed by Charles C. Lord, chairman of the superintend- 
ing school committee. Presenting it at the annual March 
meeting of the town, he was supported by a large number 
of citizens, and the measure was finally adopted almost 
without a dissenting voice. 

We give a brief description of the new free high school 
plan. For years it had been the custom of the town to raise 
$500 annually for common schools, the amount being in 
excess of the sum required to be raised by law, and to divide 
the whole school-fund among the respective districts — one 
half equally among the districts and one half equally 
among the scholars. By the new plan, it was proposed to 
distribute the legal school-money, or amount required to 
be raised by law, by a new division, giving two thirds to be 
equally distributed among the districts, and one third 
equally among the scholars. This was proposed with a 
view of favoring the less populous districts, which might be 
located farther from the villages, and, consequently, less 
accessible to the privileges of the proposed high school 
instruction. The usual sum of $500 was to be raised and 
divided equally between two free high school districts, to be 
located respectively in the northern and southern portions 
of the town, according to the provisions of chapter 90 of 
the General Laws of New Hampshire, and used for free 
high school purposes as far as the money would go. It was 
also estimated by the advocates of the new plan, that, with 
proper economy and the employment of a single teacher in 
each case, the amount appropriated would secure two 
respectable terms of high school in each district, which, it 
was assumed, would occur in the spring and fall of the 
year. It was also urged that the adoption of the free high 
school plan would result in bringing a 'larger number of the 
children of the town, and especially more of those of 
advanced years, under the influence and within the privi- 
12 



178 LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKINTON. 

leges of public instruction. The town was also urged to 
try the experiment one year. 

The plan having been adopted, the superintending school- 
committee and the selectmen of the town were made a 
committee to lay out the town into two high school dis- 
tricts, which work was accomplished on the 15th day of the 
following May. High school district school-meetings were 
subsequently held, officers chosen, and arrangements com- 
pleted for schools, which were opened the next autumn. In 
high school district No. 1, in the south part of the town, a 
fall and also a spring term were taught by Charles M. Sar- 
gent, of New Loudon ; in high school district No. 2, in the 
north part of the town, a fall term was taught by Thomas 
B. Richardson, of Contoocook, and Miss Lillian M. Whitney, 
of Newport, and a winter one by Miss Whitney alone. In 
the south district, school was kept in the village common 
school-house, and in the north district in Contoocook 
academy. 

During the progress of this school year, an active contro- 
versy was waged among the citizens of the town in respect 
to the merits of the high school plan. However, at the end 
of the year, the superintending school-committee reported 
the following summary of the statistical result : 

1879. 1880. 

Whole number of scholars in town . . . 396 405 

Scholars at school during year .... 315 327 

Scholars at school over 16 years of age . 23 49 

The above statement of the town school officers formed 
the basis of a general deduction on the part of the advocates 
of the high school plan that their case was proved, the ex- 
periment having justified their claims, and therefore the 
town would be consistent in continuing the schools. How- 
ever, the opposition proved too strong, and the town refused 
to raise any money for the high school, on the occurrence of 
the next annual March meeting. 

On the 13th of April, 1881, in consequence of a petition 
of citizens, the selectmen of the town issued a warrant for 
a town-meeting on the 30th day of April, but with- 
out indicating any particular month of April, to see if the 
town would abolish, the two high school districts formed 
the previous year. A town-meeting having been assembled 
on the 30th of April, 1881, Carlos G. Hawthorne recorded 



THE FREE HIGH SCHOOL. 179 

a protest against the " pretended warrant," which was 
claimed to be incompetent "on account of insufficiency." 
During the progress of the meeting, Benjamin O. Kimball 
made a motion " that the town now proceed to vote on the 
article 2d," or the article to see if the town would abolish 
the high school districts. After some intermediate matters 
had been transacted, Mr. Kimball's motion was put and 
carried without opposition, and the meeting then adjourned 
without date. 

This action only inflamed public controversy. It was 
urged on the part of the advocates of the high school plan 
that a vote to proceed to act was not an action itself; but 
the opposers of the high school as strenuously urged that 
the high school districts had been effectually abolished. 

The question reached a climax in the spring of 1882. A 
school-meeting held in high school district No. 1, and com- 
posed wholly of friends of the measure, voted to raise a 
certain sum of money for the support of a school the ensu- 
ing year. This action was substantially taken on the fol- 
lowing legal assumption : That the town had legally 
established two high school districts under the provisions 
of chapter 90 of the General Laws of the state of New 
Hampshire ; or, if there had been any legal remissness in 
the transaction, the two districts, being subject to the rules 
and regulations affecting common school districts, were 
confirmed in their establishment by the operation of law, 
they having acted as school-districts for one year ; and the 
two high school districts had never been legally abolished. 

A certificate of the vote of this so called high school 
district was presented to the selectmen, who took counsel 
of William L. Foster, of Concord, before attempting an 
assessment. Judge Foster's opinion, seconded by Josiah 
Minot, virtually affirmed the position taken by the oppo- 
nents of the high school plan, asserting practically the in- 
adequacy of the act establishing the high school districts, 
the validity of the warrant of the meeting of April 30, 1881, 
and the sufficient efficacy of the vote under Mr. Kimball's 
motion to abolish the districts. The high school contro- 
versy ended after this opinion was made public. 



180 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER L. 

MEMORIAL SERVICES FOR PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 

The year 1881 witnessed a profound and solemn grief 
that affected a whole nation. The town of Hopkinton was 
not indifferent to the sentiment of general mourning. We 
need not inform the intelligent reader that the public 
sense of calamity originated in the criminal wounding, 
painful illness, and sad death of James A. Garfield, presi- 
dent of the United States. 

President Garfield was shot on the 2d day of July. The 
news found the people of Hopkinton in a peculiar situa- 
tion. It had been determined to celebrate the Fourth of 
July at Hopkinton village. The celebration was to take 
the form of an old-fashioned training, under the command 
of Col. William Colby. When the day arrived, the sense 
of public calamity was so great that a celebration was not 
held, but a meeting at the town hall resulted in the selec- 
tion of a committee — Charles C. Lord, Herman W. Greene, 
and Colonel Colby — to consider a future public observance 
in accordance with the ultimate developments in President 
Garfield's case. The assembly then repaired to the Con- 
gregational church, where religious services were conducted 
by Rev. Adoniram J. Hopkins and Rev. Daniel Sawyer. 

Upon the event of President Garfield's death, through a 
preliminary gathering, arrangements were made for a pub- 
lic funeral service on the 26 th of September, the day ap- 
pointed by President Arthur for public mourning through- 
out the nation. A gathering first occurred at the town- 
house, from which a march was taken westward as far as 
the house of Capt. William Palmer, and then eastward, in 
return, to the Baptist church. The procession was headed 
by the Hopkinton Cornet Band, which performed funeral 
music on the march. The officers of the inarch were James 
M. Connor, marshal ; Charles C. Lord, drum-major ; Her- 
man W. Greene, color-bearer. On the route of the proces- 
sion, nearly every house was decorated with mourning em- 
blems. During the march, the church bells were tolled — 
the Congregational by Albert Hardy, and the Baptist by 
George W. Mills. At the church the following order of 
exercises was observed : 



SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1881 TO 1889. 181 

1. Introductory dirge, " We honor the hrave," by the band. 

2. Opening prayer by Rev. Adoniram J. Hopkins. 

3. Hymn, " Ho ! Reapers of Life's Harvest," a favorite with the 

deceased president. 

4. Scripture selections by the Rev. Mr. Hopkins. 

5. Memorial prayer by Rev. Harlan P. Gage. 

6. Hymn 944, " Asleep in Jesus," selected for the funeral at 

Cleveland, Ohio. 

7. Addresses by Rev. Mr. Hopkins, and Rev. Mr. Gage. 

8. Hymn 485, " Nearer, my God, to Thee," also President Gar- 
field's favorite. 

9. Benediction by the Rev. Mr. Hopkins. 

During the singing, Frank L. Flanders presided at the 
organ. 

At the close of the services, the people remained till the 
band was stationed outside, and then departed while k ' The 
Better Land" was performed as a solemn dirge. 

The same day, funeral solemnities were observed in the 
Freewill Baptist church at Contoocook, Rev. Benjamin P. 
Parker and Rev. Charles H. Leet, officiating. The churches 
were solemnly decorated on the day of this memorial ser- 
vice. 

On the previous Sunday, proper observations upon the 
death of President Garfield were made in nearly or quite 
all the churches in town. Several if not all of the churches 
were also draped in mourning. 



CHAPTER LI. 

SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1881 TO 1889. 

In 1881, March 8, a singular contest arose in town. For 
years it had been the custom to leave the appointment of 
the superintending school-committee to the selectmen. 
This year, owing to the effects of the high school contro- 
versy, there was much disaffection in general school affairs. 
The superintending school-committee of the previous year 
had been personally or officially identified in support of the 
free high school plan. The opponents of the high school 
predominated in 1881. Consequently, it was only natural 
that a change should be proposed in the method of select- 



182 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ing a superintending school-committee. Though the high 
school proposition was not directly asserted in the contest, 
yet the general condition of feeling tended to invite sharp 
controversy to every phase of public educational thought. 
A motion having been made and passed in town-meeting to 
choose a superintending school-committee by ballot, all 
people were not ready for the occasion. No general con- 
certed action having been taken, the ballot, implying the 
election of a board of three officers on one ticket, culminated 
in a most incongruous result. Only 122 ballots were cast, 
but the whole number of candidates, male and female, seri- 
ously and ludicrously presented, was 69, not one of them 
having a sufficient number for a choice. The meeting hav- 
ing been postponed till next day, a succession of ballots 
resulted in the choice of Benjamin P. Parker, Elbridge G. 
Kimball, and Hannah M. Edmunds. The same day the 
town raised $300 for the use of the road machine, having 
refused to raise anything the previous year. 

In 1882, March 14, the town voted to raise $100 for the 
services of Memorial day, the amount to be expended under 
the direction of the Hopkinton Veterans' Association. 

In 1883, March 13, the town voted to raise $300, to be 
used in making up any deficiency less than $100 to any 
school-district in town. The two union districts were 
excepted from this general provision, though Farrington's 
Corner was to receive $80 from the town. The sum of $200 
was voted for repairs upon the town-house, the sum to be 
expended at the discretion of the selectmen. 

In 1884, March 11, the same general provision for 
school-districts was made as on the previous year, except 
that the deficiencies were made up from the literary fund 
and the dog-tax. It was voted to exempt the kit manufac- 
tory of Frank I. Morrill & Co., at Contoocook, from taxa- 
tion for the term of three years, the valuation not to exceed 
$3,000. The town adopted the amendment of chapter 55 
of the General Laws, relating to the delivery of inventory 
blanks. By this act, the laws of 1883, allowing selectmen 
or assessors to present inventory blanks to the property 
owner at the time they called to examine the estate, at the 
same' time filling them, became of force. It was also voted 
that the next annual town report should contain the list of 
resident and non-resident tax-payers. On the 26th of July, 
a hearing was had before the selectmen upon a petition of 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 183 

citizens to drain the Frog pond in Hopkinton village, 
according to the provisions of chapter 108 of the Laws of 
1883. The substance of the petition was adopted, and the 
pond was drained that season. On the 4th of November 
the town voted $1,000 for repairs upon Tyler's bridge. 

In 1885, March 10, the town voted to prohibit trout-fish- 
ing in its waters for three years. The state law admitting 
of this prohibition was repealed in 1885. The selectmen 
were authorized to appoint fish wardens in all the school- 
districts of the town. The bequest of $100, for the benefit 
of the Jewett Road school, by Helen Young Bailey, was 
accepted by the town. 

In 1887, March 8, the town voted to distribute its high- 
ways into six districts. This indebtedness of the town 
having been cancelled, the sum of $1 was voted for town 
charges and expenses the current year. The sum of $400 
was raised for a fire-proof vault at the town-house, for the 
better preservation of records and documents. The bequest 
of Charles G. Green, of Boston, Mass., for the preservation 
of his mother's grave in the village cemetery, was accepted 
by the town. The bequest was $200, the annual income to 
be applied to the purpose described. 

In 1888, March 13, the town voted to exempt the Hopkin- 
ton hotel association from taxation for the term of five 
years. It was also voted to return to the former system of 
highway districts. 

In 1889, March 12, the town voted to raise $250 in ex- 
cess of the amount required by law, for the support of com- 
mon schools. A by-law for the suppression of truancy was 
also passed. 



CHAPTER LII. 

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 

In earlier chapters of this work, we have detailed many 
items of ecclesiastical history, the Congregational church 
being a legal function of the town. In a particular chapter, 
we showed the legal separation of the church and state to 
have occurred in 1819. We also showed that, before 1819, 
the town of Hopkinton had practically abandoned and 
ignored any administrative interest in the Congregational 



184 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

church. In the progress of this work, we have also seen 
that the town not only ceased to hold meetings in the 
meeting-house, but also relinquished all its right and title 
therein to the First Congregational Society. We propose 
now to consider briefly the history of the Congregational 
church as an independent establishment. 

We have already described the exterior of the Congrega- 
tional meeting-house as it was made under the supervision 
of the town. If there is any doubt about the interior, we 
will repeat that it contained the accustomed high pulpit, 
sounding-board, gallery, and square pews. A few pews, 
nearest the pulpit, devoted, according to custom, to the use 
of the dignitaries of the church, were of better finish. With 
the addition of the belfry and bell, the structure remained 
substantially intact till 1829, when it was remodelled into 
the form of the present church, which was dedicated on the 
26th of December of the same year. A town clock was 
placed in the tower of the remodelled church, and a weather- 
cock was placed upon the spire, to be afterwards superseded 
by the present vane. 

In the progress of time and events, the first church in 
Hopkinton developed more and more as an ecclesiastical 
organization and function. Special evidences of religious 
progress antedate the separation of the town and church. 
In 1817, a Sunday-school was opened in the school-house 
at Farrington's Corner. About 1821, another similar 
school was opened on Beech hill. In 1822, a Sunday- 
school was opened in the church. In 1848, a constitution 
was adopted and regular officers chosen. Stephen Sargent 
was the first superintendent under the new regulation. 

In an earlier chapter, we narrated the organization of 
this church with ten members in 1757. The church has 
since increased greatly, but is subject to influences affect- 
ing most country churches, owing to a prevailing tendency 
to a decline of population. The following is a list of all 
the pastors and ministers of more extended supply since 
the organization of the church : 

James Scales, ordained November 23, 1757 ; dismissed 
July 4, 1770. Elijah Fletcher, ordained January 27, 1773 ; 
died April 8, 1786. Jacob Cram, ordained February .25, 
1789 ; dismissed January 6, 1792. Rev. Ethan Smith, in- 
stalled March 11, 1800 ; dismissed December 16, 1817. 
Roger C. Hatch, ordained October 21, 1818 ; dismissed 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY. 185 

June 26, 1832. Rev. Moses Kimball, installed May 7, 1834 ; 
dismissed July 15, 1846. Rev. Edwin Jennison, installed 
June 6, 1847 ; dismissed September 5, 1849. Christopher 
M. Cordly, ordained September 5, 1849 ; dismissed February 
4. 1852. Marshall B. Angier, ordained June 8, 1853 ; dis- 
missed March 28, 1860. Rev. Edwin W. Cook, installed 
March 6, 1861 ; dismissed December 13, 1864. William H. 
Cutler, ordained December 20. 1865 ; dismissed May 8, 1867. 
Rev. John K.Young, D.D., supplied from June, 1867, through 
October, 1874. Rev. Clarendon A. Stone, installed Decem- 
ber 29, 1874; dismissed September 1, 1881. Edgar T. 
Farrill, ordained September 27, 1882 ; dismissed November 
20, 1885. Rev. Myron W. Adams, installed December 2, 
1886; dismissed August 30, 1888. Rev. Til ton C. H. 
Bouton, acting pastor since April 1, 1889. 

The West Congregational meeting-house, of which we 
have already given some account, was of the usual spacious, 
uncouth style of architecture prevailing in the early days. 
There does not appear to have been any regular, separate 
organization connected with this meeting-house, which was 
taken down in 1831. 

In 1834, Dea. Amos Bailey, of West Hopkinton, died, 
willing a large portion of his property to the Congregational 
church. A half of his bequest was to be paid to any 
society of the Congregational order maintaining regular 
services in the west part of the town. In the hope of 
securing the aid, a society was organized with its head- 
quarters at Contoocook. The Union meeting-house was 
built, and Rev. David Kimball, of Concord, employed to 
preach. Upon a legal trial of the question, however, it 
could not be made to appear that Contoocook was in that 
part of the town implied in the will of Deacon Bailey, and 
the bequest was lost. The Second Congregational Society, 
as it was called, kept up a nominal existence until the year 
1851. 

The old-fashioned two-storied farm-house, standing near 
the old graveyard on Putney's hill, and owned by the 
descendants of Moses Rowell, is said to have been the first 
parsonage in the town, the residence of Rev. James Scales, 
the first local minister. 

A branch organization of the New Hampshire Cent 
Societj", projected in Concord in 1804, has for many years 
existed in connection with the Congregational church. 



186 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

The " Woman's Auxiliary Board of Foreign Missions," 
connected with this church, was organized November 4, 
1873, — Mrs. Catharine B. Symonds being chosen president, 
and Mrs. Maria G. Barnard secretary and treasurer. 

On Sunday, November 22, 1857, the date being one day 
in anticipation of the one-hundredth birthday of the Con- 
gregational church in Hopkinton, the Rev. Marshall B. 
Angier, pastor, preached a centennial discourse, which 
occupied the place of both the forenoon and afternoon 
sermons. In the forenoon, the Rev. Mr. Angier spoke 
from Zechariah I, 5, — " Your fathers, where are they ? " 
The discourse of the earlier day embraced the history of 
the church, and a sketch of the different ministers and 
pastors, for a hundred years. In the afternoon, he spoke 
from Psalm XLV, 16, — " Instead of thy fathers shall be 
thy children, whom thou mayst make princes in all the 
earth." The discourse of the later day dwelt upon the 
" duties, obligations, and privileges of the generations 
succeeding the fathers." There was no observance of the 
centennial of the church other than that implied in the 
services incident to the discourse of the pastor. 

Diversity of religious belief is natural among men. 
Although Hopkinton was settled by people of nominally 
and legally orthodox faith, actual dissenters from the 
popular belief soon began to assert themselves. At length, 
a gathering of an organized Baptist church in this town 
was effected through the missionary labors of Rev. Dr. 
Hezekiah Smith. This organization was at first a branch of 
the Baptist church in Haverhill, Mass., the subordinate com- 
pact being formed in 1769. The following were the origi- 
nal members : Mary Emerson, Anna Brackenbury, Abigail 
Rogers, Susanna Blaisdell, Benjamin Rogers, Samuel Brack- 
enbury, John Blaisdell, John Jewett. On the 8th of May, 
1771, the church at Hopkinton became independent. 

In its earlier days, the influence of the church at Hop- 
kinton was widely extended. Branch churches were 
organized in Bow, Goffstown, and Londonderry. The 
subordinate organization included also people of Bedford, 
Merrimack, Derryfield (now Manchester), and Nottingham 
West (now Hudson). Among the early laborers in the 
local Baptist field and vicinity were Elders John Peake* 
Job Seamans, Thomas Paul, John Hazen, and Dr. Samuel 
Shepherd. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 187 

The first years of this church were attended by trials. 
The War of the Revolution depressed it, but it rallied again 
in 1789. It received a new impulse from a great revival 
in 1793. The walls of a church were enclosed in 1795, but 
the edifice was not completed till at least twenty years after. 
This house was very much like most of the country meet- 
ing-houses built at the time, being huge, square, high, and 
galleried. It stood on a spot of ground northerly opposite 
the house of George W. French, near the convergence of a 
number of roads, near the foot of Putney's hill. The 
Baptist church also suffered from internal doctrinal dissen- 
sions. Being at first devoted to the tenets of Calvinism, a 
schism afterwards destroyed the unity of church confession, 
and the organization separated from the general body of 
Calvinist Baptists in the state. The subsequent conduct 
of the organization was essentially on a Free or Christian 
Baptist basis till about the year 1822, when the Rev. 
Michael Carlton, a pronounced Calvinist, became its pastor. 
It was urged, on the part of the Calvinistic branch of the 
society, that a decided affirmative attitude on the original 
basis of religious doctrine was necessary in the church, in 
order that it might retain its ecclesiastical property. The 
point was sustained. The opposing element, led by Dea. 
Jonathan Fowler, separated from the main organization and 
formed the nucleus of the present Freewill Baptist church, 
at Contoocook. Since then the two Baptist bodies have 
held on in their respective and unmolested ways. In 1831, 
the Calvinists built a new church, of modern country style, 
in the easterly part of Hopkinton village, about a mile east 
of their former place of worship. The new edifice was 
framed out of the timbers of the old West Congregational 
meeting-house. The old Baptist church was taken in bulk 
or in parts to Concord, where its substance was embodied 
in a new structure. The Baptist church in Hopkinton 
village was neatly repaired in 1854. A parsonage, includ- 
ing a vestry, was erected nearly opposite the church in 
1869. 

The Calvinist Baptist church, in common with others, 
has felt the depressing effect of the later changes in the 
tide of population, though more or less than others. Its 
congregation has diminished. The organization, however, 
has had important donations. The widow of the late 
Samuel Smith left a generous bequest to this church about 



188 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the year 1868. In the year 1871, George E. Crowell of 
Brattleborough, Vt., presented a cabinet organ. Mrs. 
Sarah Jones, in 1876, gave the church its bell. The 
church was again remodelled into its present form in 1885, 
when a pipe organ was purchased. 

Elder Elisha Andrews, the first pastor of this church, 
was settled in 1795, and preached half of the time for three 
years. For seventeen years after, the preaching was mostly 
supplied by the deacons. Elder Abner Jones was settled in 
1815 ; resigned in 1821. Michael Carlton was ordained 
June 27, 1822 ; resigned September 14, 1832. Rev. Andrew 
J. Foss was installed March 17, 1833 ; remained three 
years. L. B. Cole, M.D., was ordained and installed April 
18, 1837 ; remained two years. Rev. Samuel Cooke was 
settled May 19, 1839 ; remained six years. King S. Hall 
next became pastor, ordained April 22, 1846, resigned 
September 28, 1851. Rev. Samuel J. Carr was settled 
March 14, 1852 ; remained four years. Rev. Jonathan E. 
Brown became pastor April 2, 1857 ; resigned September 
7, 1862. Christie W. Burnham was ordained October 14, 
1863 ; remained till the last Sunday in August, 1871. Rev. 
Abraham Snyder was settled January 1, 1872 ; resigned 
December 27, 1874. William S. Tucker was ordained 
September 28, 1875 ; resigned May 18, 1879. Rev. Adon- 
iram J. Hopkins was installed November 29, 1879; continued 
till October 1, 1883. Willard E. Waterbury was ordained 
February 27, 1884; dismissed May 1, 1887. Herbert E. 
Thayer, the present pastor, was ordained September 7, 1887. 

There are numerous subordinate organizations connected 
with the Baptist church. The Cheerful Workers' Mission 
Band was organized September 19, 1884, with the follow- 
ing officers : President, Mrs. Frank W. Paige ; vice-presi- 
dent, Mrs. Edward E. Chase ; secretary, Mrs. Charles 
French ; treasurer, Miss Clara M. Fellows ; director, Mrs. 
Willard E. Waterbury. The object of this society is to 
increase the interest of its members in mission work. 

The Junior Department of the Mission Band was 
organized April 6, 1889, with the following officers : Presi- 
dent, Vira C. Paige ; vice-president, Henry W. Goodrich ; 
secretary, Maud E. Paige ; treasurer, Helen Symonds. 
This department was organized to include younger people 
than would naturally belong to the Cheerful Workers' Mis- 
sion Band, but its purpose is the same. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 189 

The Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor was 
organized May 12, 1887, with the following officers : Presi- 
dent, Henry A. Dairy mple ; vice-president, Galen E. 
Blanchard ; secretary, Mrs. Henry A. Dalrymple ; treasurer, 
Mrs. Galen E. Blanchard. The object of this society is to 
promote earnest Christian life among its members. 

The Woman's Mission Circle was organized September 
28, 1888, with the following officers : President, Mrs. Herbert 
E. Thayer ; vice-president, Mrs; Horace J. Chase ; secretary, 
Miss Lizzie 8. Fellows ; treasurer, Mrs. Galen E. Blanchard ; 
solicitor, Mrs. Henry A. Dalrymple ; solicitor for Helping 
Hand, Mrs. Ruhama Chase ; solicitor for Home Mission 
Echo, Mrs. Henry A. Fletcher. The object of this circle is 
to aid the Woman's Baptist Foreign Missionary Society and 
the Woman's Baptist Home Mission Society. 

The Bennet Band of Mercy was organized November 17, 
1888, with the following officers : President, Annie B. 
Merrill ; vice-president, Fannie B. Russel ; secretary, 
Vira C. Paige ; treasurer, Maud E. Paige. This society is 
named for Miss Laura E. Bennet, of Boston, Mass., a 
benefactress of the organization. 



CHAPTER LIII. 

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 

[Concluded.] 

In 1800, Hopkinton had advanced to a position of wealth 
and influence. Social beliefs and forms were multiplying 
in proportion. In the village were many families of dis- 
tinction. A considerable number of these were Episcopa- 
lians by faith or practice. There was also a quota of Epis- 
copalians among the farming population. About this time, 
or a few } r ears later, a number of prominent families came 
over to the Episcopalians from the Calvinists. In 1803, an 
Episcopal society, called Christ's church, was organized, 
worshipping in the court-house. 

The following were the original subscribers to the consti- 
tution of Christ's church : 



190 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Benjamin Wiggin, John Jewett, Moses Kelley, Baruch 
Chase, John Osgood Ballard, John Harris, Henry P. Chase, 
Stephen Bean, Daniel Chase, Bodwell Emerson, Thomas 
G. Wells, J. Stark, Robert Crowell, Nathaniel Knowlton, 
Ebenezer Dnstin, Jacob Silver, Timothy Darling, Enoch 
Gould, John White, Isaac Dimond, Joseph Bartlett, Calvin 
Dimond, Abel Conant, Peter C. Farnham, Thomas W. 
Colby, Joshua Whittier, Jacob Rogers, Silas Rogers, A.W. 
Buswell, John Whipple, Ezekiel Dimond, Horace Chase, 
Matthew Harvey, Herman Hastings, Nathaniel Emerson, 
James Hudson Ballard, Andrew Leach. 

The Rev. Samuel Meade was the superintendent of this 
movement. Various clergymen officiated for longer or 
shorter periods for Christ's church, till the year 1826, when 
the Rev. Moses B. Chase became the rector. During the 
rectorship of Mr. Chase, important changes took place. A 
new parish was formed. In 1827, it was incorporated under 
the name of St. Andrew's church. The first wardens were 
John Harris and William Little. The first vestrymen were 
Matthew Harvey, Horace Chase, Nathaniel Curtis, and 
J. M. Stanley. A new stone church was begun the same 
year. It was dedicated June 25, 1828. Rev. Mr. Chase 
continued rector till 1841. The church flourished during 
his ministry. 

During later years, the Episcopal church declined with 
the business prosperity of the town. However, worship has 
been maintained most of the time. Important improve- 
ments have from time to time been made in the interior of 
St. Andrew's church. During the ministry of the Rev. Mr. 
Schouler, the chancel was reconstructed. It was further 
improved in 1875, when the church was also frescoed and 
painted 

The first church organ ever in town was set up in St. 
Andrew's about the year 1846. It was purchased of the 
Rt. Rev. Carlton Chase, and had been his parlor organ. 
The instrument is still in its accustomed place in the un- 
used gallery of the church. It did musical service till 1873, 
when a new organ was temporarily put in St. Andrew's, 
being located at the left of the chancel. The next year the 
present elegant organ was set up at a cost of about $2,000. 

St. Andrew's church is much indebted to the energy and 
liberality of its friends at home and abroad. Its elegant 
font was obtained through the enterprise of Miss Lucy A. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 191 

Lemecl. The first altar and lectern cloths, together with 
the chandeliers and lamps, were the gifts of Mrs. G.. T. 
Roberts, of Philadelphia, Pa., who also gave two bronze 
altar vases in memory of George A. Greene. The Rev. 
Thomas J. Drumm, the present rector, gave the church 
a beautiful silver communion chalice last Easter. Rev. 
Charles W. Coit gave the Gospel-rest, as a memorial of 
Elizabeth T. Lerned, the present year. Contracts are al- 
ready made for the location of two memorial windows in 
the church. One of these windows is in mem'ory of Miss 
Charlotte G. George, being the gift of Mrs. Salvadora G. 
George, and the other of William W. Winans and Susan 
M. Stark, and the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Currier. 

Since 1841, the following have been stated clergymen of 
St. Andrew's church : 

Rev. Calvin Walcott, one year from the second Sunday 
in May, 1842; Rev. Silas Blaisdell, 1845 to 1847; Rev. 
Henry Low ; Rev. Edward F. Putnam ; Rev. N. F. Lud- 
lum ; Rev. Francis Chase, one year to November 3, 1862 ; 
Rev. William Schouler, July 1, 1865, to January 29, 
1868. 

Since February 2, 1868, the church has been supplied by 
Rev. Henry A. Coit, D. D., of St. Paul's School, Concord. 
During most of this period till the spring of 1879, the Rev. 
Hall Harrison was the rector. On the 25th of May of the 
same year, the Rev. Robert A. Benton became the rector, 
continuing till the 23d of August, 1884. On the 11th of 
the following September, the Rev. Charles A. Morrill be- 
came the rector ; he resigned on the 18th of September, 
1888. The Rev. Thomas J. Drumm became rector on the 
1st of the following October, and is the present one. The 
defective records of this church make the foregoing clerical 
statement necessarily incomplete in chronological facts. 

We have already mentioned the defection in the original 
Baptist church in this town, and which resulted in the sep- 
aration of a party, led by Dea. Jonathan Fowler, who organ- 
ized the Freewill Baptist church. This organization took 
definite form on the 17th of September, 1823, the }^ear of 
the separation, and consisted of twelve members, being at 
first known by its corporate name, the Union Baptist 
church. The names of the first members were Jonathan 
Fowler, Benjamin Eastman, Simeon Dow, Levi Straw, 



192 LIFE AISTD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Nathan Morgan, Timothy Hunt, Levi Straw, Jr., Henry- 
Dodge, Jonathan J. Straw, Ira Morrison, Thomas Eaton, 
Thomas White. 

On the 28th of September, 1826, Jonathan Fowler and 
Thomas White were chosen deacons. The society was in- 
corporated on the 30th of June, 1827. A public meeting- 
house was constructed the same year, being raised April 
11, finished October 27, and dedicated October 29. Vari- 
ous improvements have been made on this house from time 
to time since its erection. In 1871 a bell was added, large- 
ly through the energy of Mrs. Jacob S. Tuttle. In 1884, a 
kitchen was built under the church, mainly by the ladies of 
the society. 

The location of this church at Contoocook is suggestive, 
in view of the valuable moral results wrought by its influ- 
ence. In the earlier times, Contoocook had an unenviable 
reputation. The higher social laws were here measurably- 
set at defiance. A minister on his way to preach at Con- 
toocook was told he was going to a bad place. Now all is 
changed. The influence of the Freewill Baptist church has- 
been largely instrumental in promoting the improved order 
of things. 

Rev. David Harriman was pastor of this church from its 
foundation till May 10, 1828. Rev. Arthur Caverno suc- 
ceeded till February 24, 1833. Rev. David Moody followed 
till February 27, 1837. Rev. Hiram Holmes and others 
supplied till November 30, 1837. Rev. John L. Sinclair 
was subsequently pastor till November 11, 1839. Rev. Abner 
Coombs was installed July 16, 1840 ; dismissed May 15, 
1842. Rev. D. Sidney Frost became pastor May 19, 1842 ; 
dismissed April 17, 1845. Rev. Barlow Dyer became pas- 
tor May 18, 1845; dismissed March 4, 1849. Rev. S. T. 
Catlin became pastor December 20, 1849 ; dismissed in 
1851. Rev. Francis Reed became pastor May 20, 1851 ; 
dismissed in March, 1859. Rev. C. H. Witham became 
pastor the first of July, 1859 ; dismissed June 2, 1861. 
Rev. Thomas Keniston and others supplied from June, 
1861, till May, 1863. Rev. Asa Ranlett became pastor May 
23, 1863; dismissed in October, 1865. Rev. John L. Sin- 
clair became pastor a second time in January, 1867 ; dis- 
missed in March, 1869. Rev. George W. Knapp became 
pastor in March, 1869 ; dismissed in March, 1873. Rev. 
John C. Osgood became pastor in June, 1873 ; dismissed in 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 193 

March, 1878. Rev. Charles W. Griffin became pastor May 
13, 1878 ; continued till March 14, 1880. Rev. Benjamin 
P. Parker became pastor April 18, 1880; dismissed in 
April, 1883. Rev. Daniel I. Quint became pastor in April, 
1883 ; continued till April, 1885. Orren T. Lovejoy sup- 
plied from April, 1885, till April, 1886 Rev. Francis H. 
Lyford followed Mr. Lovejoy, and is the present pastor. 

The Ladies' Benevolent Association, connected with the 
Freewill Baptist church, was organized June 25, 1884, with 
the following officers : President, Mrs. Rosa E. Quint ; vice- 
president, Mrs. Timothy B. Eastman ; secretary and treas- 
urer, Mrs. Mary I. Morrill ; executive committee, Mrs. 
Edgar W. Stevens, Miss Stella G. Wright, Miss Minnie E. 
Cooper, Miss Lillian C. Mudgett, Miss F. Gertrude Morrill. 

On the 22d of November, 1889, Miss Kate I. Lyford, of 
the Haverhill, Mass., Advocates of Christian Fidelity, or- 
ganized an association of Advocates among the young peo- 
ple of the Freewill Baptist church, the following being 
officers: Marj^ E. Sanborn, president; Clarence T. Eliot, 
vice-president ; Lizzie I. Morrill, secretary ; Guilford Q. 
Dow, treasurer. 

In the earlier part of the present century, there was a 
great revival of Universalism in New Hampshire. Rev. 
Elliahan Winchester and Rev. Hosea Ballou preached the 
doctrine far aud wide, gaining many hearers and making 
many converts. The church grew and multiplied in many 
places. Previous to 1840, there were many persons in 
Hopkinton who entertained some sort of preference for the 
Universalist form of religion. A church, to be known as 
the Union meeting-house, was projected as early as 1835. 
On the 5th of December of that year, a meeting was held 
at the house of Clement Beck, at "Stumpfield," to take 
into consideration the erection of a house of worship. 
Moses Hoyt, 2d, was chosen moderator, Joseph Huse was 
clerk, and Moses Ho} r t, Moses Copps, and Nathaniel Colby 
were a building committee. The enterprise was effected 
by the creation of shares, which were sold at $25 each. 
The following were subscribers to the stock : 

Capt. Parker Pearson, Oliver Noyes, Moses Copps, Moses 

Hoyt, William Straw, James Huse, William Cressy, John 

Smiley, Joshua Raymond, Benjamin Rowell, Jr., Moses 

Rowell, Abraham Davis, Robert Bartlett, Jacob Straw, 

13 



194 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Nathaniel Colby, Joseph Felch, Lewis Straw, Micah J. 
Flanders, Samuel Kimball, Rufus Sawyer, David Plummer, 
James Hoyt, Jeremiah Silver, John A. Fuller. 

The whole number of shares sold was thirty-one. Rep- 
resentatives of different faiths in the vicinity took shares. 
The meeting-house was built in 1836, on a lot north of the 
road leading from Hopkinton village to Henniker, east of 
the house of Charles Barton, about three miles from the 
village. 

There was never any settled minister in this place. 
Among those preaching here more or less were Rev. Alonzo 
A. Miner, Rev. J. P. Atkinson, Rev. N. R. Wright, and 
Rev. J. F. Witherel. The meeting-house was seriously 
damaged by fire on the 5th of February, 1837, and was 
subsequently repaired. In 1865, the house was sold to 
Robert Wilson, and was subsequently moved to Clement's 
hill, where it was remodelled into a barn belonging to 
Alfred S. Hastings. The society had dwindled, in common 
with many others similarly situated. 

A second Universalist society was organized shortly 
after the first. The new organization had its head-quarters 
at Contoocook. A church, called a Union house, was 
erected in 1837. It is now owned by the New Church, or 
Swedenborgian society. The Second Universalist society 
for some time had considerable vigor. Rev. J. F. Witherel 
and Rev. Robert Stinson were settled ministers at different 
times. A good deal of enterprise was shown in the efforts 
for propagating the faith. Rev. Mr. Witherel, in company 
with Rev. J. Sargent, of Sutton, published the Universalist 
Family Visitor, a monthly periodical. The first number 
was issued in April, 1841. The Visitor had twelve pages, 
was of common tract size, and set forth the favorite princi- 
ples with talent and vigor. We have not been able to 
find any records of the Second Universalist society, which 
kept up a nominal existence till quite late. 

The New Jerusalem Church, more commonly called the 
New Church, was founded through the missionary labors 
of the Rev. Abiel Silver, a native of this town, who first 
preached a number of discourses in the Union church at 
Contoocook, in the summer of 1851. Rev. Mr. Silver was 
then a resident of Michigan, visiting his old home and 
familiar scenes. The appreciation of his discourses induced 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 195 

a contribution in money to the reverend gentleman, who 
returned its equivalent in theological works of Emanuel 
Swedenborg, or in collateral publications of the New 
Church. 

In a year or two after, further interest in the New 
Church was awakened in Contoocook and vicinity. Rev. 
Mr. Silver returned, and preached at length, and finally 
concluded to make the village his permanent place of resi- 
dence. The Union church, which had stood for years 
unoccupied by any society, became a place of weekly 
worship under the ministrations of the Rev. Mr. Silver. 
The interest grew till the meeting-house was filled to its 
utmost capacity. Hearers were present from various parts 
of Hopkinton and surrounding towns. In 1857. a perma- 
nent church organization was effected. On the 24th of 
May of that year, the Rev Thomas Worcester, of Boston, 
Mass., instituted the society. The following are the names 
of the original members of the church : 

Abiel Silver, Edna H. Silver, Nathaniel L. Noyes, Sarah 
A. Noyes, Mary Nichols, Rhoda Cutler, Sullivan Hutchin- 
son, Edna C. Silver, Charles Gould, Erastus E. Currier, 
Lucy H. Currier, Elizabeth C. Dean, Joseph Dow, Asa 
Kimball, John Converse, Urania N. Converse, Rhoda C. 
Putnam, Joanna L. Chase, Alonzo Currier, Emily Currier. 

Rev. Abiel Silver continued to preach at Contoocook till 
April 4. 1858, building in the meantime the house now 
owned by John W. E. Turtle. On the 15th of August, 
1858, the Rev. George H. Marston became the minister of 
this church, continuing till the month of October, 1862. 
After October, 1871, the Rev. Charles Hardon was the reg- 
ular minister for several years. The interim between 18(52 
and 1871 was employed by different readers and preachers. 
Walter S. Davis occupied the desk of this society as a 
reader for a number of years. Charles C. Lord acted as 
reader for this church for a brief period, and afterwards as 
a licensed preacher, finishing his work about the close of 
the year 1865. 

The Methodists had a foothold in this town quite early. 
In 1812, their allotted portion of the minister's tax was 
very small. Regular worship was held in the academy at 
the lower village. Rev. Stephen Eastman, Rev. John Eng- 
lish, and Rev. Joseph Hayes were among the ministers sup- 



196 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

plying preaching. The Methodist Biblical Institute, at 
Concord, furnished preachers to a greater or less extent. 
We have not been able to find any local records of this 
society, which abandoned services about the year 1850. 

Previous to the year 1871, there had been a number of 
Methodist families living for a longer or shorter time at 
Contoocook. Preaching had also been sustained to some 
extent during a few years. On the 20th of March, 1871, 
at a meeting held at the house of George H. Ketchum, 
legal organization was effected as follows : Rev. Lewis- 
Howard, president ; George H. Ketchum, secretary ; W. A. 
Patterson, treasurer; John F. Burnham, Warren M. Kemp- 
ton, Samuel Curtice, financial committee. The society 
proposing to build a church, on the 10th of the next 
month, at a meeting at Mr. Ketchum's, David N. Patter- 
son, Tyler B. Hardy, and Samuel Curtice were made a 
building committee. 

The following were original members of this society : 
Samuel Curtice, Tyler B. Hardy, Willard Allen, George H. 
Ketchum, Warren M. Kempton, John F. Burnham, Charles 
E. Taylor, William A. Patterson, Grovenor A. Curtice, 
David N. Patterson, Lewis Howard, John L Taggart, 
Thomas B. Jones, Sylvester W. Perry, Edward B. Kemp- 
ton, James M. Burnham, Charles H. Danforth, Jonathan 
Clark, James E. Taggart, Elijah Spencer, Daniel B. Aus- 
tin. 

The church was erected the same year, at a cost of some- 
thing over $2,000, on land purchased by the society of 
Samuel Curtice, and was dedicated on the 16th of Novem- 
ber. It is a neat and tasty edifice. The society, though 
small, is active. The following have been preachers : 

Rev. Lewis Howard, from 1870 to 1873; Prof. J. B. 
Robinson, 1874; Rev. Ezekiel Adams, D. D., 1875; Rev. 
Joel A. Steele, 1876 ; Rev. Lewis Howard, 1877-78 ; Rev. 
C. H. Leet, 1879-'81 ; Rev. N. M. Bailey, 1882- , 83 ; Rev. 
Sullivan Holman, 1884 ; Rev. Robert T! Walcott, 1885 to 
1887; Rev. Edwin S. Coller, 1888-'89. 




"WILLIAM H. LONG. 



EDUCATIONAL HISTORY. 



197 



CHAPTER LIV. 



EDUCATIONAL HISTORY. 



In the progress of this work, we have noted frequent acts 
of the town relating to schools of different grades. We now 
purpose to consider facts that have as yet been untouched, 
or only partially stated. The records are too meagre to 
afford adequate knowledge of the first schools and school- 
houses. Previously to 1805, the law providing for a town 
system of schools, the number of places of public instruc- 
tion increased, and when, in the year mentioned, a district 
system came into vogue, it found its own implied conditions 
practically in operation. Schools continued to increase in 
number under the district system till they reached twenty- 
one, though they were numbered inconsecutively from one 
to twenty-four. In 1877, the different school-districts in 
Hopkinton, as classified and numbered by custom and law, 
were as follows : 

District No. 1 Village. 

" " 2 Emerson's hill. 

" "3 Hatfield. 

" "4 Sugar hill. 

" " 5 South road. 

" " 6 Jewett road. 

" " 7 Main road. 

"8 Beech hill. 

" "9 Tyler's. 

" "10 Contoocook. 

" "11 Clement's hill. 

"12 Stumpfield. 

" "13 Putney's hill. 

" "14 Gage's. 

" "16 West Hopkinton. 

" "17 Currier's. 

"18 Buswell's Corner. 

" "19 Blackwater. 

" "20 North Contoocook. 

"21 Davisville road. 

"24 Farrington's Corner. 

Of the foregoing districts, Numbers 18 and 24 were 
union districts, each representing portions of the town of 
Hopkinton and the city of Concord, but both were supervised 



198 LIFE A1STD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

by the town superintending school-committee of Hopkin- 
ton. Previously to 1886, when the state returned to a 
town system, under the law passed in 1885, school-districts 
17 and 21 had been discontinued. Upon the issue of the 
change of system of 1886, the town of Hopkinton conveyed 
its interest in the Farrington's Corner school-house to the 
city of Concord, which in turn relinquished its interest in 
the Buswell's Corner school-house to the town of Hopkinton. 
Since 1886, the number of schools kept in Hopkinton has 
fluctuated between twelve and fifteen. 

In the early part of the present century, considerable 
attention was given to improved public instruction as im- 
plied in the existence of private or select schools, which 
gave special attention to branches of study of a higher 
grade. The court-house was a frequent accommodation 
for these schools. Among the teachers were Miss Catha- 
rine Perkins, sister of the late Roger E. Perkins, and the 
second wife of Dr. Ebenezer Lerned ; Miss Harriet Per- 
kins, daughter of Roger E. Perkins ; Miss Mary Ann Stan- 
ley, daughter of Theophilus Stanley ; Miss Betsey Blan- 
chard ; Samuel Cortland ; John H. Stark ; Jonathan Farr, 
of Dedham, Mass.; Horace Chase, afterwards Judge Chase; 
and perhaps others. John Harris, Esq., at one time kept a 
reading-school in the main room of the court-house. Pupils 
were admitted by cards. The teacher took great pride in 
good reading, in which he was reputed to be an adept. 
During his school a prize was offered for the best rendering 
of the scripture passage, " What went ye out into the wil- 
derness to see," etc. 

At the time under consideration, there were, as in later 
times, special schools for instruction in penmanship, in 
which remarkable proficiency was sometimes attained. 

The most memorable school, not an incorporate institu- 
tion, was kept by Master Ballard. John Osgood Ballard 
was born in Warner in the year 1768. In quite early life, 
he came to Hopkinton and began a career by teaching 
school in different districts. Subsequently he entered into 
trade, being at one time a partner of the late Joseph 
Towne. Later, he opened a store in the east end, lower 
floor, of his dwelling-house, the same now owned by Dr. 
Henry M. Dearborn. He closed his mercantile course with 
a financial failure. The misfortune was the result of the 
decline of prices at the close of the war of 1812. In the 



EDUCATIONAL HISTORY. 199 

attempt, in part, to reverse fortune, he opened a select 
school. This was about the year 1816. His school-room 
was his former store. The old shelves still remained. 
Around the larger part of the circuit of the room he built 
a sloping desk into the wall. In front of this was a plain 
board seat without a back. Pupils using this seat and em- 
ployed at the desk faced the walls. In reversing their posi- 
tion, they lifted their feet, swung them round, and were 
thus enabled to meet the gaze of their instructor, whose 
desk was on the west side of the room, near the fireplace. 
There were numerous seats, or chairs, in different parts of 
the room. 

The course of study pursued at Master Ballard's school 
was mostly confined to the English branches. Instruction 
was thorough. Proper attention was paid to reading and 
spelling, as well as to defining. The spelling-book and dic- 
tionary were studied by many or all of his pupils. Master 
Ballard was himself very accurate in the use and under- 
standing of English words. The discipline at Master Bal- 
lard's school was not altogether unlike the popular disci- 
pline of the times, yet it had an element of mildness fore- 
shadowing the better times that were coming. He kept 
and used a rawhide, though he sometimes raised it omi- 
nously in the face of a frightened pupil and remarked, — 
"You, sir.'" allowing it afterwards to descend in mercy 
without a blow. 

To illustrate a phase of persuasive discipline on Master 
Ballard's part, we have his advice to a youthful pupil whom 
we will call Johnny, and who was somewhat identifiable by 
his habitually dirty hands. Accosting this pupil one day, 
Master Ballard impaired, — 

" Johnny, does your father keep hogs ?" 

" Yes, sir." 

" Does he sometimes boil potatoes for them ?" 

" Yes, sir." 

" Does he sometimes mash the potatoes with meal ?" 

" Yes, sir." 

" Well, the next time he mashes the boiled potatoes with 
meal, won't you take some and " 

Here Master Ballard motioned with his own hands in imi- 
tation of scrubbing them with mashed potatoes and meal. 

Sad to relate, we have no account of the effect produced 
on Johnny's mind by this eloquent appeal. 



200 LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKINTON. 

Master Ballard kept an uninterrupted school for about 
thirty years, but during his later work he received some 
assistance, particularly from his son, afterwards the Rev. 
Edward Ballard. On a plain slab in the old cemetery in 
Hopkinton village can be seen the following inscription : 

JOHN OSGOOD BALLARD, 

died 

Apkix 27, 1854. 

M 86. 

The modesty of this inscription will not prevent the 
fondest recollections of Master Ballard, cherished in the 
hearts of his many grateful pupils. 

The educational histor}^ of Hopkinton involves the nar- 
ratives of two special institutions, which are considered in 
two separate succeeding chapters. 



CHAPTER LV. 

HOPKINTON ACADEMY. 

This institution, which attained a widely extended and 
honorable celebrity, was founded principally by Dr. Eben- 
ezer Lerned, through whose dominant exertions a prelimi- 
nary meeting was held on the 11th of September, 1826. 
James Stark was made moderator of the meetiug, and 
Philip Brown, clerk. After deliberation, Rev. Roger C. 
Hatch, Rev. Michael Carlton, and Horace Chase were made 
a committee to solicit subscriptions. Abram Brown, Par- 
ker Pearson, and Philip Brown were afterwards added to 
this committee. A contribution of five dollars was to 
make one qualified to vote for officers. 

On the 24th of February, 1827, the movement had at- 
tained such proportions as to warrant the selection of a 
committee to report a plan of organization. Ebenezer 
Lerned, James Stark, Stephen Darling, Stephen Sibley, 
and Abram Brown were made this committee. They re- 
ported on the 3d of the following March. Their plan was 
accepted, and Ebenezer Lerned, Philip Brown, and Stephen 



HOPKINTON ACADEMY. 201 

Sibley were selected to procure a preceptor. Two weeks 
later a permanent organization was effected, as follows : 

Trustees, Ebenezer Lerned, president, Abram Brown, 
Stephen Sibley, Matthew Harvey, Phineas Clough, Roger 
C. Hatch, Michael Carlton. Horace Chase was secretary, 
and Philip Brown, treasurer. 

Upon the establishment of Hopkinton academy, the court- 
house became a subject for. structural changes. In due 
time, improvements were made in the upper story. The 
building had practically ceased to be the property of either 
Hillsborough or Merrimack counties, especially as the 
courts of the latter had been established in Concord from 
the incorporation of 1823. The court-room and senate 
chamber were remodelled. Entrance was effected at either 
end by a hall and stairway. In the former apartment, a 
platform and teacher's desk were located on the east ; in 
the latter, on the north ; opposite either were plain wooden 
seats and desks, arranged in rows in the usual manner. 
Between these two rooms were smaller apartments, devoted 
to recitations, drawing garments, and a laboratory. 

In 1827, a bell was presented to the institution by Isaac 
Chandler, of Boston, Mass., a former and a later citizen of 
Hopkinton, the gift being acknowledged by a vote of 
thanks on the 30th of April. 

School began in the spring of the same year, under an 
arrangement admitting of four terms of twelve weeks each 
a year. The first term began on the first Wednesday in 
May. The hours of study prescribed for the first term 
were from 8 A. M. till 12 m., and from 1 to 5 P. M. The 
study hours of the remaining terms were left to the discre- 
tion of the trustees. There were to be reviews once a 
week. An act for the incorporation of Hopkinton academy 
was approved on the 26th of June. 

The first preceptor of Hopkinton academy was George 
Peck, who remained but a short time. The catalogue of 
the fall term of 1827 gave the following board of instruc- 
tion : Jeremiah Russell, A.B., preceptor; Mr. Jeremiah 
Gates, assistant preceptor ; Mr. Luther Cross, lecturer on 
chemistry. 

The following persons were trustees : Ebenezer Lerned, 
M.D., president; Abram Brown, Esq., Mr. Stephen Sibley, 
Phineas Clough, Esq., Rev. Roger C. Hatch, Rev. Michael 
Carlton, Rev. Nathaniel Williams, Concord; Hon. Henry 



202 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

B. Chase, Warner; Artemus Rogers, Esq., Henniker; 
Philip Brown, Esq., treasurer ; Horace Chase, Esq., sec- 
retary. 

The resident students in the gentleman's list were, — Philip 
Brown, Jr., Alpheus R. Brown, William S. Chandler, Isaac 

C. Chandler, Moses T. Clough, Hilliard L. Currier, Fred- 
eric R. Harvey, Thomas B. Jewell, John Kelley, John T. 
G. Leach, Edward A. H. Lerned, Benjamin F. Long, Isaac 
L. Long, Charles E. Long, David S. Page, Abram B. Sib- 
ley, Nathaniel C. Smith, Edmund E. Smith, Solon Stark, 
and Isaac Story. 

In the ladies' list were, — Sophia W. Bailey, Catharine W. 
Bailey, Mary G. Bailey, Sarah L. Brown, Helen M. Chase, 
Paulina Clark, Hannah S. Currier, Ann L. Darling, Mary 
Darling, Margaret H. Hall, Margaret E. Harvey, Eliza O. 
Jewell, Clarissa G. Leach, Catharine C. Lerned, Judith 
Morse, Martha W. Rogers, Nancy G. Sibley, Sarah Silver, 
Bridget Stark, Mary Stark, Martha H. Story, Mary J. B. 
Tyler, and Hannah Weeks. 

The whole number of gentlemen was 47 ; ladies, 26 ; — 
total, 73. This catalogue contained only the list of officers, 
instructors, and students, and the recapitulation of the lat- 
ter. It was printed on plain paper, with a coarse, brown 
cover. 

The next year the school was divided into special male 
and female departments. The catalogue for the fall term 
announced the following instructors : Rev. Jacob Nash, 
A.M., preceptor; Miss Judith D. Peabody, preceptress. 
The students were,— gentlemen, 45 ; ladies, 32 ; — total, 77. 

Hopkinton academy advanced rapidly in success and 
popularity. In 1830 there were 113 students ; in 1831, 
159 ; in 1835, 162. Among the earlier preceptors were 
Enoch Colby, Enoch L. Childs, and Moody Currier, with a 
large corps of assistants, in the male department. In the 
ladies' department were Miss Caroline Knight, Miss Mary 
L. Childs, Miss Lucy Adams, and Miss Mary Y. Bean, with 
various aids. Subsequent to this time many residents of 
this town remember many principals ; more recently, Pre- 
ceptors M. C. Stebbens, Dyer H. Sanborn, William K. 
Rowell, John T. Clark, Stephen W. Clark, and their assist- 
ants ; also Miss J. E. Stebbens, Mrs. M. A. Rowell, Miss 
Clara Flint, and other teachers. 

About the year 1843, the academy experienced a heavy 



HOPKDSTTON ACADEMY. 203 

reverse, by which its available funds were reduced from 
$2,500 down to $500. The misfortune was induced by the 
business failure of Nathaniel Curtis, a merchant of Hopkin- 
ton village, in whose hands were considerable sums of the 
institution's means. An investigation showed an actual 
deficit of $1,765 18, arising from bad notes and expendi- 
tures above the income. The authorities of the academy 
failed to put in their claim in bankruptcy, and never re- 
covered their losses. For several years, the school fluctuated 
to a greater or less extent in consequence of this calamity. 
The institution received an important impulse in 1851, 
when a new charter was approved on the 4th of July. By 
the new arrangement, the sum of ten dollars contributed by 
an individual made him a trustee. The board of trustees 
was increased, improvements made, and prosperity fol- 
lowed. The time-honored institution declined again, how- 
ever, from the same causes that have ruined many enter- 
prises of its kind all over the country. Changes in popula- 
tion, and the increase of local high schools in larger places, 
have wrought results against which none but well founded 
or denominationally supported institutions can contend. 
Last of all, and sad to relate, Hopkinton academy, as a 
material structure, went up on the wings of flame on the 
morning of March 29, 1873. Many a precious memory 
was quickened, and many a deep regret experienced, when 
it perished. As an institution, Hopkinton academy nomi- 
nally exists, but its direct influence is nothing. 

In the days of its pristine and meridian usefulness, the 
instruction taught at Hopkinton academy was thorough 
and efficient, confirming the purposes of the institution, as 
defined in the catalogue of 1835 : " It is designed, in the 
course of studies pursued and in the instruction given, to 
develop and strengthen the faculties of the mind, as well 
as to store it with useful knowledge. Efforts are made to 
lead the mind to think and reason upon the subjects pre- 
sented." 



204 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER LVI. 

CONTOOCOOK ACADEMY. 

Previously to the establishment of Contoocook academy, 
frequent temporary high schools had been sustained in Con- 
toocook village. Among those teaching them were Rev. 
Robert Stinson, Walter Harrimam, Prof. Dyer H. Sanborn, 
Capt. Orville Smith. A decided effort for an academy was 
made in 1855. On the 15th of December of that year, a 
preliminary meeting was held in what was then Merrill's 
hall. George L. Kimball was chairman, and Frank A. 
Kimball, secretary. Messrs. John F. Burnham, and Frank 
A. Kimball exhibited a voluntary subscription list amount- 
ing to $1,450. After consideration, it was voted to aban- 
don this list, on the assurance of pecuniary aid encouraged 
by the Rev. Abiel Silver, in case the proposed institution 
came under the control of the New, or Swedenborgian, 
church. The reverend gentleman pledged $500 from a 
friend in such a case. The plan being received favorably, 
Abiel Silver, Asa Kimball, and Isaac D. Merrill were chosen 
a committee to obtain subscriptions. Contributions came in 
rapidly, and soon amounted to $3,000 or more. Of this 
sum, John H. Williams, of Waltham, Mass., gave $1,000 ; 
Jacob Silver, of Michigan, $500 ; Abiel Silver, $200 ; John 
Burnham, $200 ; William Howe, $150 ; Asa Kimball, $140 ; 
Isaac D. Merrill, $100; Capt, Paul R. George, $100. Other 
persons gave smaller amounts. There are now fifty-seven 
shares in this institution, rated at $10 each. 

On the 18th of January, 1856, a building committee was 
appointed. It consisted of Abiel Silver, Asa Kimball, Jacob 
M. Morrill, and Isaac D. Merrill, and Mr. Merrill was also 
treasurer. On the 24th of the same month, Abiel Silver, 
Isaac D. Merrill, and George W. Morrill were chosen a 
committee to draft a constitution. On the 13th of March, 
it was voted to secure a charter, and Phineas Clough, 2d, 
was added to the committee on subscriptions. Building 
operations began the same spring. 

The charter was approved July 11. The securing of the 
act of incorporation was attended with some difficulty. The 
subject of a charter first came before the New Hampshire 
legislative committee on incorporations, which body, not 



CONTOOCOOK ACADEMY. 205 

comprehending the significance of the name " New Church," 
were disposed- to treat the matter with supreme indifference. 
Isaac D. Merrill, however, was a representative for this 
town, and a member of the committee on education. 
Through his influence and official position, the charter be- 
came a fact. Although the work of building was not com- 
pleted, yet, upon the act of legal incorporation, a meeting 
was held in " Academy Hall," among the lumber and shav- 
ings, and the organization effected as follows : 

Abiel Silver, president ; John Burnham, vice-president; 
William Howe, N. A. Davis, Horace C. Stanley, Ebenezer 
Morrill, Paul R. George, Samuel L. F. Simpson, Hamilton 
E. Perkins, and Joseph Dow, directors ; Abiel Silver, John 
Burnham, Isaac D. Merrill, and Alonzo Currier, executive 
committee ; Abiel Silver, Rev. William B. Hayden, and 
Asa Kimball, property board of trustees. On the *24th of 
August, George L. Kimball, Isaac D. Merrill, and Samuel 
L. F. Simpson were chosen a committee to arrange for a 
term of school. 

The first term of Contoocook academy began in the 
autumn of the same year, with about eighty pupils. Am- 
brose Wayland Clark, of Dartmouth college, was principal. 
He remained but a short time, owing to a more advan- 
tageous opportunity for employment. In 1858, Rev. George 
H. Marston, of Limington, Me., came to Contoocook to be- 
come the successor of the Rev. Abiel Silver as minister of 
the New Church, and also to take charge of the academy. 
He was associated with Miss Amy Andrews, of Boston, 
Mass., who afterwards became his wife. He remained till 
some time in the year 1862. Since that time there hava 
been different teachers in charge of the institution. John 
C. Ager, Thomas B. Richardson, Sullivan C. Kimball, Rev. 
Charles Hardon, and others have taught for longer or 
shorter periods. 

Contoocook academy stands on the high land south-west 
of the village of Contoocook, on a site purchased by the 
corporation of William Howe, for the sum of $ 150. It is a 
neat building, two stories in height, containing Academy 
hall above, and drawing- and recitation-rooms below. In 
the tower is a bell. Walter S. Davis is president of the 
corporation. 



206 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER LVII. . 

MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 

Organization for military offence and defence is coexist- 
ent with the history of society. The soldier has everywhere 
kept pace with the civilian. When America was settled, 
armed men were among the colonizers. The early proprie- 
tors of Hopkinton brought with them their arms and mu- 
nitions of war. 

The soldier became a specially important social factor in 
the early history of this town. The naturally exposed con- 
dition of the frontier settlement, the early occurrence of 
the French and Indian wars, and the subsequent event of 
of the Revolution compelled a prolonged public resort to 
arms. This phase of local history has already been de- 
scribed in previous chapters of this work. 

Upon the establishment of a free government in New 
Hampshire, provision was made for adequate public protec- 
tion. Our state constitution says, — " A well regulated 
militia is the proper, natural, and sure defence of a state." 
Acting upon this sentiment, in the year 1786, the legisla- 
ture of New Hampshire passed a law instituting a Training 
Band of men from sixteen to forty years of age, and an 
Alarm List of men from forty to sixty. Each town of thirty- 
two privates and the requisite number of officers was enti- 
tled to form a company : a town of ninety-two could have 
two companies. 

In the progress of time, population increased, citizens 
liable to military duty were multiplied, and military organ- 
ization was extended. In the year 1792, a law was passed 
making companies in Boscawen, Salisbury, Andover, New 
London, and Kearsarge Gore constitute a first battalion, 
and the companies of Hopkinton, Warner, Sutton, Fishers- 
field (now Newbury), and Bradford, a second battalion, 
which should together constitute a 21st regiment. In 1819, 
the companies in Boscawen, Hopkinton, Salisbury, and 
Andover were made to constitute a 21st regiment. In 1842, 
the companies in Hopkinton, Henniker, and Warner were 
made to constitute a 40th regiment. In 1851, the New 
Hampshire militia, except what existed upon paper, was 
practically abolished. 



MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 207 

The militia law of 1792, with some modifications and 
amendments, was the essential law until the abolition of 
ancient military customs Under this law, the private mili- 
tia of this town was called out for inspection and exercise 
in drill at least twice a year — in spring and in fall — dressed 
in their common garb of citizenship. The officers of militia 
were attired in a swallow-tailed coat, with bell buttons,' 
and wore a bell-crowned cap and plume. Independent 
companies, however, were thoroughly uniformed. A body 
of cavalry, known as " The Troop," belonging to the old 
21st regiment, and subsequently mustering with the new 
40th regiment, contained members from Hopkinton, who 
were dressed in a red coat trimmed with yellow facings, 
white pants, a bell-crowned cap, and a white plume with a 
red tip. 

Connected with the old 21st regiment, and continuing 
till 1851, was a company of Hopkinton riflemen, who 
for many years wore a blue suit — spencer and pants — a 
bell-crowned hat, and a black plume ; afterwards they 
adopted a gray suit, with a modern cap, surmounted by 
three black feathers. There was also a company of light 
infantry, dressed in a blue coat and white pants, the pants 
being ornamented on the lower leg with two rows of black 
buttons, and wearing a bell-crowned cap, with a white 
plume tipped with red. The light infantry was subse- 
quently superseded by "The Cold Water Phalanx," a com- 
pany of men dressed in a black velvet coat trimmed 
with red, and white pants bearing a red stripe, and also 
wearing a modern cap with three white feathers. 

Music is always regarded as an aid to the metrical exe- 
cution of military drill. For the support of martial music, 
the state provided each compauy with a fife, a snare drum, 
and a bass drum. The first bass drum used was propor- 
tionately longer in form than the present one, was slung 
horizontally from the neck, and played with two drum- 
sticks, one in each hand. If companies desired other instru- 
ments of music, they were allowed to provide, at their own 
expense, as many as they wished. The old military prac- 
tices developed a good use in stimulating the musical tal- 
ents of the young. Instrumental music was- cultivated 
everywhere, and military bands frequently established. 
There was in Hopkinton, at the close of the old military 
system, a band of no mean ability, being composed of play- 



208 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ers upon clarionets, bugles, trombones, and other instru- 
ments. Subsequently to 1851, the interest in martial music 
rapidly declined to complete extinction. It revived again, 
however, in 1859, when the Hopkinton Cornet Band was 
organized, under the leadership of Melvin Colby. This 
organization expired in 1873, but, in 1877, a new one was 
formed under the old name, and under the leadership of 
John F. Gage. The Contoocook Cornet Band was organ- 
ized in 1861, under the leadership of William H. Hardy ; re- 
organized in 1875, under the leadership of Cyril T. Webber. 
A noted martial musician of this town was Jonah Camp- 
bell, a famous drummer, who died on the 6th of May, 1880, 
at the advanced age of 84 years. George Choat, a cele- 
brated fifer, died on the 13th of September, 1888, at the 
age of 89 years. 



CHAPTER LVIII. 

SECRET SOCIETIES. 

The devotees of the Masonic order were quite early rec- 
ognized in Hopkinton. Doubtless a greater or lesser num- 
ber of the early emigrants were Masons. In 1803, there 
was a Palladian Society in Hopkinton. Its first meeting 
was held on the 10th of January of that year, at the house 
of John Harris. The original members of this organization, 
which existed for a longer or a shorter time, were John 
Harris, Aquilla Davis, Timothy Darling, Stephen Blan- 
chard, Stephen Bean, Samuel Darling, Benjamin Eaton, 
Joseph Estabrook, Joshua Darling, Mark Jewett, Henry 
B. Chase, Daniel Moore. 

In the year 1807, February 16, a society was formed to 
be known as Trinity Chapter. In the priority of chapters 
in the state, Trinity was the second one established, Han- 
over being the first. 

In 1819, there were six chapters in New Hampshire. 
The same year, on the 10th of January, the Grand Royal 
Arch Chapter was organized at Concord, John Harris, of 
Hopkinton, being chosen grand high priest. At a commu- 
nication of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter soon after, at 
Keene, we find three men present from Trinity — Stephen 



SECRET SOCIETIES. 209 

Sibley, proxy for M. E. H. Chase, priest ; Enoch Darling, 
king ; and Imri Woods, scribe. 

At a meeting of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter at Con- 
cord in 1824, the returns from Trinity Chapter were as fol- 
lows : M. E. Harrison G. Harris, H. P. ; Stephen Blanchard, 
Jun., K. ; William Little, S. ; John Harris, treasurer; Rev. 
John Law ton, chaplain ; Artemas Rogers, marshal ; Enoch 
Darling, R. A. C. ; Imri Woods, C. H. ; Aquila Davis, 
P. S. ; G. M. V., Jacob Silver, John Silver, Jr., Thomas 
Waterman ; stewards, Jacob Silver, Aaron W. Buswell ; 
tyler, Nicholas Tyler. 

Members — William Bartlett, Abram Brown, Stephen 
Blanchard, Isaac Bailey, Bela L. Butler, Albe Cady, Daniel 

B. Emerson, Austin Gage, Isaac Hill, Joseph Hnse, Abel 
Hutchins, Stephen Putney, Daniel Chase, Ebenezer Cressey, 
Joshua Darling, Stephen Davis, Stephen Sibley, Thomas 
Raymond. 

About this time, Masonic hall was erected in Hopkinton. 
It stood opposite the Congregational church at the corner 
of the main street and south road, on the spot now includ- 
ed in the yard of the old Gilman house, now owned by 
Mrs. G. G. Bailey. It was one of the old, primitive, New 
England style of edifices, two-storied, square, uncouth, and 
with a profusion of windows. Dedication day came on the 
18th of May, 1825, when, with the usual pomp and cere- 
mony, the premises were formally assumed by the chapter. 
The laying of the corner-stone was a part of this demon- 
stration. In it was deposited a copper box, containing a 
variety of documents. On the cover was the following in- 
scription : 

Masonic Hall, erected by Trinity Chapter, which was instituted 
16th Feb'y., A. L., 5807. Incorporated 12th June, A. D., 1807. 
This corner-stone was laid in Masonic form by the High Priest of 
Trinity Chapter, assisted by the other officers and members in pres- 
ence of many brethren of the mystic art and a vast concourse of 
people, 18th May, A. D., 1825, A. L., 5825, and in the year of the 
discovery, 2356. Este Perpetua. M. E. Stephen Blanchard, Jr., 
high priest ; E. Jacob Silver, king ; E. Daniel Chase, scribe ; 

C. Stephen Sibley, treasurer ; Horace Chase, secretary. 

The box is now in the possession of the New Hampshire 
Antiquarian Society, and can be seen at its rooms at Con- 
loocook. The contained documents are in a state of partial 
14 



210 LIFE AM) TIMES IN" HOPKINTON. 

decomposition, as they were found when taken from their 
original position. 

Free Masonry did not find in Hopkinton a permanently 
organized existence. In the course of the experience of 
Trinity Chapter, certain divisions or difficulties arose which 
tended to disturb its abiding-place. The climax of matters 
is found in the report of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter at 
Concord, 1847-'48. There was presented a petition, the re- 
sult of a communication at Hopkinton, May 19, 1847, repre- 
senting " that a change of said Trinity Chapter would mate- 
rially advance the good of Masonry, and have a tendency to 
restore said Trinity Chapter to its former rank in the Ma- 
sonic order." 

The petitioners, therefore, prayed " the M. E. Grand 
Chapter, that Trinity Chapter, now located in Hopkinton, 
may be permitted to remove to Concord, agreeably to the 
vote of said Trinity Chapter." 

The petition was duly signed by Nicholas Fowler, Daniel 
Chase, and Hosea Fessenden, the act of petitioning taking 
place, as by date of instrument, on June 9, 1847. In 
compliance with its request, Trinity Chapter was removed 
to Concord. Organized Masonry ceased to exist in Hop- 
kinton, and a year or two afterwards the hall of Trinity 
Chapter was sold and removed to Penacook, where it has 
since been devoted either to business or to domestic uses. 

The Patrons of Husbandry became established here in 
1875. Agreeably to a petition signed by James M. Con- 
nor, Joseph Barnard, John F. Currier, and about twenty 
others, men and women of this town, State Deputy C. C. 
Shaw, of Milford, organized Union Grange, No. 56, in 
Lyceum Hall, on the evening of the 12th of May. The 
following persons subscribed their names as charter mem- 
bers : James M. Connor, Judith Connor, Joseph Barnard, 
John F. Currier, Mrs. Ellen Currier, Charles Gould, Miss 
Clara I. Gould, Timothy Colby, Frank W. Paige, Moses E. 
Dodge, Mrs. Abbie C. Dodge, Henry H. Crowell, Alfred N. 
Chandler, Mrs. Helen M. Chandler, Isaac Story, Mrs. Lydia 
Story, George E. Merrill, Woodbury Hardy, Edward G. 
Runnels, John H. Dodge, Mrs. John H. Dodge, William S. 
Straw, Mrs. Mary A. Straw, William Sweatt, Benjamin 
Hoyt, Amos Frye, Jr., Horace F. Edmunds, Ellen G. 
Edmunds, John M. Foss. 



SECRET SOCIETIES. 211 

The following list of officers was elected : Master, Isaac 
Story ; overseer, Joseph Barnard ; lecturer, Charles Gould ; 
steward, Moses E. Dodge ; assistant steward, John F. Cur- 
rier ; secretary, James M. Connor ; chaplain, Timothy 
Colby ; treasurer, Henry H. Crowell ; gate-keeper, Horace 
F. Edmunds ; Ceres, Mrs. Alfred N. Chandler ; Pomona, 
Mrs. William S. Straw ; Flora, Miss Ellen G. Edmunds ; 
chorister, Edward G. Runnels ; business agent, Amos 
Frye, Jr. 

Union Grange is to-day in active existence as a success- 
ful organization. 

Of the organization of the Odd Fellows in this town, we 
have obtained but little information. Kearsarge Lodge, 
No. 23, was instituted in Contoocook on the 22d of Decem- 
ber, 1876, by Grand Master Alonzo F. Craig, and Grand 
Secretary Joel Taylor. The following is a list of the orig- 
inal charter members ; Edson Upton, John F. Jones, George 
C. Blaisdell, Edgar W. Stevens, Isaiah S.Livingston, Henry 
E. Wheeler, Henry D. Dustin, John C. Osgood, Grovenor 
A. Curtice, John G. Colby, Isaac K. Connor, Warren C. 
Johnson. Among the officers chosen for the first term 
were Edson Upton, N. G.; Isaac K. Connor, V. G. ; Grove- 
nor A. Curtice, secretary; John F. Jones, treasurer. 

Kearsarge Lodge is now in a flourishing condition. In 
1889, Eagle Encampment was transferred from Henniker to 
Contoocook, thus enlarging the local interests and oppor- 
tunities of the order. 

In the year 1874, a lodge of the Independent Order of 
Good Templars was organized in Contoocook, but it became 
defunct in a few years. In 1878, on the first day of June, 
Washington Lodge, No. 46, was organized at Hopkinton 
village. The following were original members: Rev. C. 
A. Stone, D. L. Gage, Elijah Spencer, Mrs. S. E. Spencer, 
William Win slow, Mrs. Winslow, Mrs. Sarah Nichols, 
Sumner E. Spencer, George N. Kimball, Willie Winslow, 
Mis. Sarah Gale, Georgia A. Rogers, Carrie Winslow, Sarah 
Winslow, Etta Brockway, Fred J. Brockway, Susie F. L. 
Bailey, Moses W. Burbank, John H. Sargent, Joseph L. 
Hagar, Rev. William S. Tucker, Carrie B. Dunbar, Charles 
H. Stone, Harvey L. Boutwell, Henry B. A. Boutwell, 
Frank Burbank, Emma Sanborn, Helen Colby, Maggie 
French, Mrs. A. G. Straw. 



212 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

The following were the original officers: W. C. T., Joseph 
L. Hagar; W. V. T., Mrs. Spencer; W. S., Sumner E. 
Spencer; F. S., Sarah Winslow; T., Rev. Mr. Stone; M., 
John H. Sargent; C, Rev. Mr. Tucker; I. &., Maggie 
French; O. G., Charles H. Stone; A. S., Georgia A. 
Rogers; D. M., Harvey L. B out well ; R. S., Emma San- 
born ; L. S., Carrie B. Dunbar; P. W. C. T., Elijah Spen- 
cer. 

There was no permanent organization of the Grand Army 
of the Republic in this town till 1882. Previously to that 
year, a movement in the direction of a permanent organiza- 
tion was made in Contoocook, bat the plan was not fully 
ultimated. On the 7th of July, 1882, a permanent organi- 
zation was effected at the lower village. A meeting hav- 
ing been called, Department Commander Haynes detailed 
comrades for temporary officers as follows : Com., M. A. 
Haynes ; S. V. C, I. W. Hammond ; J. V. C, D. B. New- 
hall ; A., Natt Shackford; Q. M., F. D. Bachelder ; S., J. 
N. Patterson ; C, A. B. Thompson ; O. D., J. E. Randlett; 
S. M., J. S. Hubbard; Q. M. S., C. H. Ordway. The roll- 
call showed fifteen members present. Commander Haynes 
administered the obligation, and ordered an election of 
officers, which resulted thus: Com., William Montgomery; 
S. V. C, Frank W. Morgan ; J. V. C, Joseph P. Morrill; 
Q. M., Eli A. Boutwell; O. D., Edward G. Runnels; C, 
Woodbury Hardy; S., Samuel E. Crowell ; S. M., George 
A. Libby ; Q. M. S., George W. Nichols. Henry H. Crow- 
ell was appointed adjutant, and Comrade W. E. Stevens 
administered the obligation. Col. Putnam Post, No. 5, at 
present contains a numerous membership and is in a pros- 
perous condition. 

Col. Putnam Woman's Relief Corps, No. 25, was organ- 
ized February 25, 1885. The following were the original 
officers: President, Mrs. Linda M. Morgan; S. V. Presi- 
dent, Mrs. Abbie A. Brown; J. V. President, Mrs. Hattie 
N. Chase ; secretary, Mrs. Roxanna W. Kelley ; treasurer, 
Mrs. Mary J. Tasker ; chaplain, Mrs. Harriet W. Boutwell ; 
conductor, Mrs. Jennie Runnels ; guard, Mrs. Mary J. 
Chase. 

This organization is active and prosperous. 



INTELLECTUAL INSTITUTIONS, ETC. 213 

CHAPTER LIX. 

SPECIAL INTELLECTUAL INSTITUTIONS AND ENTERPRISES. 

There was a circulating library in this town in the early 
part of the present century. It was for a considerable time 
kept in the office of Bavuch Chase, a lawyer, who occupied 
as a place of business the building now used as the village 
post-office. After the death of Mr. Chase, the books found 
their way into the house of his widow. They lay stored 
many years, and, it is said, in the end were sold for old 
paper. They were disposed of during the late war, when 
old papei was very high. We have never been able to 
ascertain the date of the establishment of this library, the 
number of its volumes, or the conditions of its use. 

During the practical usefulness of Hopkinton academy, 
the "lyceum" was a prominent feature of its indirect privi- 
leges. The lyceum was an organization of present and past 
students, and admitted of a variety of rhetorical and liter- 
ary exercises. A prominent feature of the lyceum was the 
debate which tended to develop the public controversial 
abilities of the disputants. When Prof. D} T er H. Sanborn 
became the principal of Hopkinton academy, a lyceum 
known as the "Sanborn Adelphi" came into existence. In 
due time, a library of quite respectable proportions became 
the property of the organization. The books were con- 
tained in a case which was kept in the east room of the 
academy. 

Professor Sanborn taught a year or two, and then opened 
a select school at Contoocook, where he collected quite a 
large number of scholars, some of whom were members of 
the Sanborn Adelphi, organized at the lower village. 

In the process of events there arose a dispute about the 
possession of the Sanborn Adelphi library. Certain stu- 
dents came down from Contoocook to the lower village, 
where the subject in controversy was ardently discussed on 
either hand. At length disputation resulted in an active 
contest. An attempt being made to convey a portion of 
the books to Contoocook, a general scramble ensued, and 
every member present seized and personally appropriated as 
many volumes as his individual prowess enabled him to 
control. Thus ended the Sanborn Adelphi library, the 
time being not far from 1855. 



214 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

The Contoocook library was founded in 1871. The 
enterprise was the result of a preliminary effort of the 
young people of the place, who gave a number of public en- 
tertainments, the funds accruing from which laid the basis 
of the ultimate scheme. The enterprise having made some 
progress, a meeting for organization was held on the 4th 
day of January, the result being as follows : President, 
George W. Morrill ; vice-presidents, Joseph Barnard, Anson 
White ; secretary, Harvey Campbell ; treasurer, Isaac D. 
Merrill; trustees, Thomas P. Richardson, Rufus P. Copps, 
Walter S. Davis, Charles Gould, John F. Jones. 

The provisions of the constitution require a membership 
fee of $2, and a subsequent annual tax of $1 as a reading 
right. The association has about 100 members. The num- 
ber of volumes in the library is over 1,500. In many 
instances books have been temporarily loaned to the insti- 
tution. There are about fifteen honorary members, some 
of whom have made donations to the library. Mrs. C. L. 
George at one time presented the association with $50. 
The library is located in Curtice's block. Mrs. Charles 
Hardon is the librarian. 

The Hopkinton village library was founded in 1871, and 
in a manner very like that obtaining at Contoocook. Con- 
siderable means was at first obtained by a series of enter- 
tainments given by the people of this vicinity. At length 
a stock company was formed, a subscription of $10, paid in 
five annual instalments of $2 each, making one a perma- 
nent member of the organization. On the 17th of March, 
a meeting of stockholders was called, and temporary organi- 
zation effected as follows : President, Carlos G. Hawthorne; 
secretary, Herman W. Greene ; treasurer, Isaac Story. The 
following were appointed directors with power to choose 
executive officers: H. W. Greene, Isaac Story, S. Smith 
Page, James M. Connor, Charles C. Burnham, John F. 
Currier, True J. Putney, Carlos G. Hawthorne, Christie 
W. Burnham, Melvin Colby. Permanent officers were 
chosen as follows : President, Herman W. Greene ; vice- 
president, Charles C. Burnham ; secretary, Lewis D. Evans; 
treasurer, Isaac Story ; librarian, Miss Anstice I. Clarke ; 
executive committee, Carlos G. Hawthorne, James M. Con- 
nor, John F. Currier. 

This association has a very long list of honorary mem- 



INTELLECTUAL INSTITUTIONS, ETC. 215 

bers. Important donations have been received from 
Messrs. G. Theodore Roberts of Philadelphia, and Robert H. 
Tewksbury and J. C. Dow of Lawrence, Mass. The num- 
ber of volumes is over 1,000, besides numerous magazines 
and pamphlets. The library was first opened in a room 
over the present store of Charles French, from which it 
was taken to the post-office building, which it now occu- 
pies. For a year or two this library was idle, owing to a 
lack of funds and the occupancy of the post-office building 
bj T the Hopkinton Times. The library is now in active 
use, being in charge of Lewis D. Evans, the village post- 
master. 

The New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, which has its 
head-quarters at Contoocook, was incorporated on the 2d of 
July, 1875. This organization was the result of an associa- 
tion called the Philomathic Club, which was formed at 
Hopkinton, November 19, 1850. The original members of 
this club were only three in number — Silas Ketchum, 
George H. Crowell, and Darwin C. Blanchard — all of them 
young men, who sought only mutual improvement by asso- 
ciating together. The meetings of the club were held in 
private houses, and at length the number of members was 
increased to seven. The following statement is from the 
pen of Mr. Ketchum : 

" In the lapse of years, these members became dispersed 
into five different states. Once at least each year a meeting 
was held, at which so many as could be were present. 
Nearly all were men of liberal education and literary pur- 
suits. Common proclivities of mind and taste induced 
them to collect whatever fell in their way that was unusual 
and curious. Without any design, but by common consent, 
these articles were brought to the meetings and deposited 
in the club-room at Hopkinton. This process went on for 
fourteen years. In 1872, the head-quarters of the club were 
established at Contoocook." 

On the 19th of November, 1873, the Philomathic Club 
was dissolved, and the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society 
was organized in its stead. Rev. Silas Ketchum was made 
president, and continued a member till his death in 1880. 
The society's collection of books, specimens, etc., amounts 
to many thousands of articles, which occupy a number of 
rooms in Jones's building, close by the bridge across the Con- 



216 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

toocook river. This collection is the frequent resort of vis- 
itors, and it receives frequent additions. The societj^ holds 
meetings quarterly, the third Tuesday in July being the 
time of the transaction of its annual business. 

A building for the reception and preservation of the 
library and museum of the New Hampshire Antiquarian 
Society was projected in Hopkinton village in 1889. The 
unfinished edifice is the gift of Mrs. William H. Long, of 
Boston, Mass., and will cost the munificent sum of $10,000. 
The structure of brick and stone, elegant and ornamental, 
occupies the site of the residence of the late Timothy 
Chandler. The edifice will bear the inscription, " The 
William H. Long Memorial Building." 

In this chapter, we have already mentioned the Hopkin- 
ton Time*. This paper, published weekly by H. Sumner 
Chase, was first issued in June, 1880. Its first location was 
in the old post-office building. In the fall of 1880, it was 
removed to Contoocook and issued in a room over Wads- 
worth's machine shop, in Bailey's mill. In the year 1882, 
it was removed to Bailey's block, where it continued to be 
issued till 1883, when it was located in the present Highland 
hall. In January, 1885, the paper was consolidated with 
the Kearsarge Independent, of Warner, and the combined 
sheet became the Independent and Times. 



CHAPTER LX. 

TAVERNS AND HOTELS. 

The first house of public hospitality in Hopkinton was a 
tavern. Now we have hotels. Names, like other things, 
therefore change. Among the first taverners in Hopkinton 
were Benjamin Wiggin and Theophilis Stanley. Several 
persons quite early were engaged in hotel keeping on the 
site of the old Perkins House. The most notable of these 
earliest landlords was Mr. Wiggin, who was justice, post- 
master, and trader also. He came to this town from Strat- 
ham, N. H., and became established as a landlord as early 
as 1786, which date was inscribed upon his old-fashioned 




THE PERKINS INN. 



TAVBENS AND HOTELS. 217 

swinging sign-board, one half in each upper corner. On the 
bottom of this sign-board was the significant announcement, 
"Entertainment by B. W." This sign-board also bore a 
painted representation of a man on horseback, followed by 
two dogs. Never were worse proportions delineated. The 
man's waist was shrunk up to comparative nothingness, 
while his lower extremities enlarged into feet of enormous 
proportions. Benjamin Wiggin's hotel is still standing, be- 
ing the house already located in an earlier chapter of this 
work. The house of Theophilis Stanley is still standing, 
and has also been located. 

In early times. Maj. Isaac Babson kept a tavern on the 
site of the present Perkins Inn. We do not know when 
this tavern was opened to the public. Thedate " 1786" was 
once discovered on the lathing of one of the rooms. Sub- 
sequently to 1800, it was purchased by Roger E. Perkins. 
Later, the house was kept by Bimsley Perkins, but with a 
respite from 1816 to 1818. and it became his by purchase in 
1826. Under the care of Bimsley Perkins, this tavern be- 
came the most noted public house between Boston and 
Montreal. The house was square, two-storied, and had a 
gable roof. Under Bimsley Perkins's management, the elite 
were served at this tavern in the days of Hopkihton's high- 
est prosperity. There were important out-buildings erected 
during this time. In consequence of social changes which 
we have already mainly related. Perkins's tavern was closed 
to the public about the year 1^47. On the 1st of December, 
1864, the edifice was reopened as a public house by David 
B. Story, and became a modern village hotel, accommodat- 
ing numerous summer boarders yearly. In 1870, a Man- 
sard roof was put upon it. and other improvements were 
made. On the night of the 5th of October, 187*2, the 
Perkins House went up on the wings of flame. The fire 
Mas accidental. 

Elder Joseph Putney's tavern stood on the highest point 
of road between the two villages in town, on the site now 
occupied by the house of Charles Putnam. It was part of 
a large farming establishment, and was patronized by the 
more lowly among travellers. To obtain a clearer idea of 
life in a public accommodation like Joseph Putney's, we 
must understand a feature of ancient travel which was 
more or less exhibited in or around all country inns. In 



218 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the olden time, all freight was of course carried through 
the country on wheels andrunuers, and, in many instances, 
by the owners themselves. Teamsters were often inclined 
to indulge only the most economical fare. When teams, 
large and small, put up for the night, the drivers often 
brought their own provisions, thereby saving all expendi- 
tures except for lodgings, grog, and hay. It was a pict- 
uresque sight when a large company of travellers gathered 
around the open fire, and refreshed themselves, each from 
his own box of edibles. Elder Putney was particularly 
hospitable to his guests, always furnishing them with plenty 
of cider for nothing. His supply of winter apples was just 
as free. The average patronage of a house like Joseph 
Putney's would surprise the modern inquirer. The num- 
ber of horses and men requiring to transport freights was 
large, and the accumulation of small teams swelled the 
travel immensely. Elder Putney was a man of remarkable 
generosity and integrity. His temperament was strongly 
religious, impelling him to officiate publicly in the school- 
house close to his home. From this fact it is probable he 
received the title of " Elder." Upon the death of his wife 
he abandoned public hospitalities. He died Sept. 20, 1846, 
aged 93. He was a soldier of the Revolution. 

The first public house in Contoocook stood on the site of 
Curtice's block, which is in part the original structure, 
since remodelled. At first there was a plain, one-storied, 
ungainly building opened to the public by Daniel Page. 
When the later Central House was projected, the idea of 
the necessity of competition first entered into the mind of 
the proprietor of the old hotel, and an extra story was added. 
Not far from this time, Mr. Page sold out his stand to his 
sister Susan, afterwards the wife of Simeon Tyler, who lived 
in the district known as Tyler's bridge. Miss Page was 
sadly unfortunate in the ultimate of her proprietorship. 
She sold the house for railroad stock, and lost it all. The 
stand ceased to be open to the public about the year 1834. 

The second hotel built in Contoocook was erected in the 
autumn of the year 1831, by Messrs. Sleeper & Wheeler. 
Both landlords were young men. The enterprise did not 
flourish in their hands, and in about a year the property 
went into the hands of Herrick Putnam, who kept the doors 
open for about a dozen years. Mr. Putnam was followed 



TAVERNS AND HOTELS. 219 

by Rufus Fuller, of Bradford, who conducted the establish- 
ment till about twelve years later, when he died. For years 
the place was kept by Henry Fuller, son of Rufus, and af- 
terwards by Walcot Blodget, son-in-law of the elder Mr. 
Fuller. It changed hands frequently till 1872, when it fell 
into the possession of Col. E. C. Bailey, who kept it open 
till 1878, when he tore it down and began the erection of a 
hotel on the site of the present new house of Walter S. 
Davis ; but the scheme was never ultimated. The old Cen- 
tral House stood on the western apex of Mr. Davis's pres- 
ent lot. 

The Putney House in Hopkinton village was built to 
supply the place of the Perkins House, burnt in 1872. In 
the summer of that year, George G. Bailey determined to 
make Hopkinton village a place of residence, bought the 
old Isaac Long place, and fitted it up for the convenience 
of his family during the hot months. A year or two after, 
he purchased the old Dr. Wells house, adjoining the Long 
place, moved it back, established connection between the 
two, and made the hotel a nice and convenient one, in a 
pleasant, shady spot. The structure included two stories 
with a Mansard roof. The complete establishment had a 
front extension of 125 feet and a rear one of 190. After 
the erection of this house, an elegant hall, a bowling-alley, 
and other additions were constructed. 

Mr. Bailey conducted the Putney House a few years, and 
then closed it to the public. In the summer of 1886, it was 
reopened by Kimball & Green, Mr. Bailey having died, 
and it was called the Mt. Putney House. On the night of 
the 23d of the next December it was burned, and the vil- 
lage of Hopkinton was destitute of a public house. The 
Mt. Putney House stood on the site of the present summer 
residence of Horace G. Chase. 

In 1886, July 1, the present Highland House was opened 
in Contoocook, by H. Sumner Chase, who also opened 
Highland hall, making an elegant and commodious public 
establishment. 

The present Perkins Inn in Hopkinton village was for- 
mally opened to the public on the 4th of July, 1888. The 
want of a public house hafd been deeply felt. In the sum- 
mer of 1887, a project in anticipation of a new one was 



220 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPK1NTON. 

originated by Miss Kate P. Kimball, who gave inspiration 
to the people, collected subscriptions for stock, and, in fact, 
became the virtual cause of the present inn, begun in the 
fall of 1887, when, in anticipation of its construction, Miss 
Kimball herself removed the first earth on the selected site. 

The new project advanced so rapidly after its inception, 
that, on the 25th of August, a voluntary corporation, with 
a capital of $10,000, was formed under the General Laws of 
the state, and the following ten directors were chosen : 
Robert R. Kimball, Horace G. Chase, John F. Currier, 
Arthur W. Goodspeed, Robert B. Currier, Herman W. 
Greene, Lewis D. Evans, John S. Kimball, Samuel S. Page, 
John G. Brockway. These directors again organized thus: 
President, Robert R. Kimball; clerk, Lewis D. Evans; 
treasurer, John S. Kimball ; executive committee, Herman 
W. Greene, Horace G. Chase, John F. Currier. The enter- 
prise advanced so favorably that on the 6th day of April, 
1888, the capital stock was increased to $12,000, its present 
limit. 

The new hotel occupies a position on the corner of the 
village square and Main street, fronting the square to the 
east and the street to the south. The structure extends 
80 feet each east and south, with a lateral breadth of 40 
feet to each of the two wings that compose it. At the ex- 
tremity of the southern wing, at the west, there is an addi- 
tion of 36 by 34 feet. The main edifice is three stories in 
height, including a Mansard story, and has a veranda 200 
feet long and 10i feet wide. At the principal corner of the 
building is a tower and flag-staff of an elevation of 83 feet, 
in front of which the veranda is extended 4 feet in breadth, 
forming a beautiful and spacious porch. The new hotel 
contains no less than 52 rooms, arranged and constructed 
according to all the purposes of a house of its kind. The 
office, entered from the east, is 22 by 40 feet in size ; the 
reading-room, 16 by 24i; two ante-rooms, each 12 by 16 ; 
the dining-room, 34 by 39 ; the parlor, occupying the most 
conspicuous corner on the first floor, 32 by 36. The guest 
chambers, on the second and third floor, vary in size, but 
principally range from 12 by 16 to 16 by 16. It is a nota- 
ble fact that there is not a room in this house that has not 
a window opening to a pleasant prospect, for the village 
and surroundings are full of natural beauty. The addition 
to the south wing, partly devoted to culinary purposes, has 



TAVERNS AND HOTELS. 221 

four stories including the Mansard. The whole structure 
is painted in the following manner : The body is Tuscan 
yellow ; the Mansard, gasholder red ; the roof, slate ; the 
Minds, maroon; the Mansard is encircled by a stripe of 
slate with a band of fancy shingles in the middle. The plan 
of the hotel was furnished by Dow & Wheeler, Concord, 
and it was mainly constructed by our own local workmen. 
The lumber was largely furnished by Johnson & Richards, 
and came from the forest of Stillman B. Gage. The mas- 
ter carpenter was Elmer B. Dunbar. F. E. Williams, of 
Penacook, built the chimneys. George F. Tilton was su- 
perintendent of the painting. The lathing was done by 
Edgar Atwood, of Penacook, and the plastering by Mr. 
Williams. Since its erection, the Perkins Inn has been 
supplied with a steam-heating apparatus. 

The Perkins Inn is a name that commemorates Capt. 
Bimsley Perkins, the famous proprietor of Perkius's Tav- 
ern. It was one of three names proposed by Miss Kate P. 
Kimball, and it was the final selection of a committee of 
proprietors. Upon the opening of the new hotel, Frank A. 
Hale became the landlord. The old swing-sign of Benja- 
min Wiggin, retouched with paint, still invites the public 
to hospitality at the Perkins Inn, being hung to an elm 
that stands near the chief corner of the edifice. 

It is a tradition that Lieutenant Cross, who lived near 
the first ferry across the Contoocook river, kept the first 
tavern in town. In the earlier times in Hopkinton, there 
were numerous houses that combined the features of a 
farming home and a country tavern. In later times, a num- 
ber of persons have kept public houses of greater or less 
importance in the villages. Among them may be men- 
tioned Daniel Flanders, at Hopkinton village, and Edward 
D. Burnham and Charles E. Taylor, at Contoocook. 



222 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER LXI. 

AN AGRICULTURAL SKETCH. 

An early occupation of civilization is tilling the soil. In 
a new country, farming is often the main support of the 
population. The first settlers of Hopkinton were mostly 
farmers. The condition of agriculture was, of necessity, 
crude. Its profits were uncertain in a corresponding 
degree. Besides the natural uncertainty of the seasons, the 
lack of intercommunication between localities, and the at- 
tendant imperfect means of transportation, made the con- 
sequences of local failure more disastrous. The soil, how- 
ever, was new and fertile. When it brought forth, it did so 
abundantly. It was only when it failed through drought, 
flood, or cold that the population suffered — mostly through 
difficulty of communicating with distant and abundant 
supplies. 

As population and social facilities increased, the farms 
were not only self-supportive, but on fertile years corn and 
grain were stored in the granaries of the industrious. Con- 
sequently, in the earlier times, the farmers of Hopkinton 
sold corn and wheat, instead of buying them as they do 
now. In the case of infertile seasons, the stores of accumu- 
lated products became available in the suppression of 
famine. In 1816, there occurred a prominent illustration in 
kind. The year was very unfruitful through an intensity 
of cold. On inauguration day, in June, there was snow to 
the depth of four inches on a level. An early frost in 
autumn killed all the corn. The farmers cut it up and 
stooked it, but, being in the milk, it heated and spoiled. 
As a consequence of the induced scarcity, corn sold in Hop- 
kinton as high as $3.50 a bushel. 

Corn and grain have been sold in this town and taken to 
Vermont for consumption. People then could not antici- 
j)ate the times that were coming. One of our former 
townsmen tells us' that he well remembers the very 
first time his father bought a barrel of flour. The price 
jDaid was only four dollars, but the act of purchase was 
deemed so extravagant as to be almost culpable. It could 
not then be popularly foreseen that the time was at hand 
when it would be almost as rare for a farmer in Hopkinton 
to raise his own flour as it was then rare for him to pur- 
chase it. 




James M. Connor. 



AN AGRICULTURAL SKETCH. 223 

In the earlier times, the production and maintenance of 
farm animals were also much larger. In districts where it is 
now comparatively rare to find a yoke of oxen, the supply of 
this kind of stock was multitudinous, the stock of different 
farmers being recorded by ear-marks on the book of the 
town-clerk, for perfect identification when astray or on 
common land. Nothing was more common than to own 
several yokes of large oxen, to say nothing of the usually 
attendant array of steers. Not more than sixty years ago, 
Reuben E. French, a former townsman, seeking cattle for 
the down-country markets, bought over seventy head in 
one day. They were all purchased in one district in this 
town, and the transaction required less time than half a 
day. At the present time it is nothing uncommon for a man 
to travel over parts of several towns to buy a single yoke 
of oxen. 

Besides the usual complement of horned stock and 
general farm animals, there was at one time quite a specialty 
in sheep. Stephen Sibley and Joseph Barnard were prom- 
inent growers of this kind of stock. Their flocks were 
counted by hundreds. Considerable effort was made to 
secure improved animals. Stock was imported from Ver- 
mont, New York, and perhaps other states, and the quality 
of the local flocks materially advanced. In 1838, at the 
American Institute fair in New York, a silver medal was 
awarded to " Barnard and Sibley," for the best exhibition 
of fleeces of American wool. In 1851, at the World's fair 
in London, a bronze medal was awarded to Joseph Barnard 
for an exhibition of wool by the lot. The prosperity of this 
branch of farming industry early met with an ignominious 
defeat. The revenue laws of 1832 and 1833, reducing the 
duties on imports and discouraging local manufacturers, so 
reduced the price of wool as to materially depress the 
interests of sheep-raising. The flocks declined. A little 
impulse was given to this branch of industry during the 
war of 1861, owing to the demands for wool created by the 
army, but it was only temporary. 

The soil of this town was adapted to growing all the 
staple crops of New England, but its subjection to the uses 
of the husbandman was a work of prodigious effort. The 
dense, heavy forests so extensively prevailing, were subdued 
by labor without direct profit. Wood and timber, so much 
in excess of the demand, were comparatively worthless. 



224 LITE AND TIMES ES" HOPKESTON. 

Even many years after the complete occupation of the 
township, a large pine tree, several feet in diameter and 
full of clear stuff, was sold on the stump for the insignifi- 
cant sum of twenty-five cents. The freedom with which 
the best of timber was employed in the humblest uses of 
building attests the low marketable estimate placed upon it. 
Acres upon acres of primitive forests were cut down, the 
logs rolled in heaps, and the fallen debris — trunks, branches, 
and boughs — burned to ashes. Following this exceedingly 
laborious toil came not only the difficult task of plowing- 
and planting, but the almost endless labor of removing the 
rocks and stones that thickly cumbered the surface of the 
ground. Stones were utilized in the division of lots by walls, 
which were often thick, or double. On an ancient location 
on Putney's hill can be seen stone walls that are six or 
eight feet in thickness. Heaps of stone thrown up in waste 
places are significant monuments of the severe toil through 
which the early inhabitants of this town reclaimed the wil- 
derness. 

With experience and increased social facilities came im- 
provements in the quality of the products of the soil. The 
introduction of improved varieties of fruit, largely through 
Abraham Brown, mentioned in Part II of this work, was a 
more notable event on account of the facilities for improve- 
ment afforded by the process of grafting. About seventy- 
five years ago, the Baldwin apple was introduced into this 
town by Stephen Gage. Since then it has become the- 
standard winter apple in every household in the community. 
We may not speak of the many varieties of roots, seeds, and. 
scions that have come and gone, or come and remained, 
since the earlier times. The history of our town, in this- 
respect, is substantially uniform with that of many others 
in its vicinity. 

Upon the ancient farm of Warren Huntoon, upon 
Putney's hill, lies an ancient broken grindstone, a symbolic 
relic of a past rude husbandry. It is of common granite 
rock, and for a long time was the only grindstone in the 
immediate vicinity. People came long distances to grind 
their scythes upon it. Before its use, people of this town 
used to go to Concord to grind their scythes. A general 
scythe-grinding took place only occasionally. The scythes, 
were kept sharp with whetstones as long as practicable, 
and then a person gathered up the dull scythes, in the. neigh- 



AX AGRICULTURAL SKETCH. 225 

borhood and took them away for grinding. Snaths at that 
time were made by hand. The axe-handles were straight. 
The plows were at first of wood, faced with iron. Imple- 
ments of all kinds were rude and imperfect, besides being 
mostly the product of the skill of the local blacksmith and 
carpenter. The introduction of modern implements has 
been a gradual but comparatively thorough work. 

The ancient richness of the soil having been in a great 
measure exhausted, the introduction of fertilizers from out- 
side has become a permanent traffic. The utilization of the 
newer and richer fields of the West has brought to our 
doors an abundance of corn and grain, and the incidental 
forms of cereal products. In the incidental improvements 
of farming — draining, building, etc. — our town has made 
creditable progress. The proximity of Hopkinton to Con- 
cord and Penacook — populous places — has latterly given 
an impulse to the department of the dairy. Improved dairy 
stock has been introduced to a considerable extent, and the 
same may be said of other farm animals. 

In the early part of the present century, considerable 
active interest in improved agriculture was taken by sev- 
eral prominent citizens of this town. One or more cattle 
shows were held in the village, on the land of Dr. Ebenezer 
Lerned, and were participated in by citizens of other towns 
and perhaps other states. In 1880, a branch of the Kear- 
sarge Farmers' club was organized in Hopkinton. The first 
officers were, — J. F. Currier, president; C. C. Lord, secre- 
tary ; and Joseph Barnard, director. Meetings were held 
in winter, alternating once a week between Hopkinton vil- 
lage and Contoocook, for about two years. During the 
second year, various experiments were tried and reported. 
There were exhibitions of poultry and produce at some of 
the meetings. 

Special attention has been paid to the breeding of Guern- 
sey stock, on the farm of Joseph Barnard, for forty years or 
more. C. and G. M. Putnam, of Putney's hill, have for 
years given much attention to full-blooded Devon stock. 
The late Daniel Dustin gave much ' attention to improved 
sheep. In later years much attention has been paid to 
improved poultry. Willard T. Greene, Edward G. Run- 
nells, William C. Russ, J. Arthur Jones, Sumner E. Spen- 
cer, and others have produced excellent birds of different 
varieties. 
15 



226 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Within a few years, the practice of selling milk at the 
railroad station has been cultivated by numerous farmers. 
The marketing of cream has of late years been an impor- 
tant agricultural factor. For a number of recent years, 
D. Carlton Tucker conducted a local creamery at West 
Hopkinton. 



CHAPTER LXII. 

A SKETCH OF MANUFACTURES. 

In earlier chapters of this work, we have recorded sun- 
dry acts of the new township in encouragement of local 
mills or manufactories. Under the aid thus given, such 
works as were implied increased to an observable extent. 
In 1791, when the town appears to have first recorded its 
inventory in a book, the following persons were taxed for 
mills: Nathaniel Clement, Moses Titcomb, Jeremiah Story, 
Amos Bailey, Levi Bailey, Joseph Barnard, John Currier, 
Eliphalet Poor, Abraham Rowell, and Simeon Dow, Jr. The 
principal business done at these mills was probably sawing 
lumber, grinding corn and grain, or fulling and dressing 
cloth. 

We have already seen how Nathaniel Clement was voted 
a gratuity by the town so long as he kept a corn-mill in 
repair. This was in the year 1765. In the progress of 
events, it appears that Nathaniel Clement and Jeremiah 
Story were at one time in partnership. The site of Clem- 
ent's mill, in 1765, was just east of Hopkinton village, at 
the outlet of Mill's meadow, near or where is now the pres- 
ent mill of John Rogers. Whether Storj^ was a partner at 
this point is not clear. Later, the works were moved 
down-stream, to the present mill-site, at the end of the path 
that continues from the lane leading from the village main 
street, between the house of George W. Currier and the 
N. H. Antiquarian building, by the graveyard, to the 
Chase woods. Afterwards, a re-location was made near 
the head of the present Chase (formerly Colby's) pond. 
Still more recently, the site was taken where the old mill 
known as Kimball's stood, within the recollection of many 
persons now living, it being where Dolloff's brook crosses 



A SKETCH OF MANUFACTURES. 227 

the highway, the stream moving eastward, about a mile 
from Hopkinton village on the Webster road. 

It appears that Clement and Story were in partnership 
some of the time before 1798, when both ceased to be taxed 
for property in mills. Moses Titcomb's mill is said to have 
been still farther down-stream, on Dolloff's brook, perhaps 
near its mouth. Joseph Barnard's mill is also said to have 
been on the unoccupied site, where Webber's mill recently 
stood, on the present farm of Dr. Charles P. Gage, of Con- 
cord. 

In a previous chapter, we located the mills of John Cur- 
rier, Eliphalet Poor, and Simeon Dow, Jr. 

Abraham Rowell's mill was at West Hopkinton. We 
cannot describe the location of the rest. 

In the earlier times, manufactures were very much scat- 
tered. In fact, every household was a manufacturing es- 
tablishment in a small way. Once small mills, and shops, 
manufactories of lumber, leather, and various domestic 
articles, in whole or in part, were scattered through the 
town, occupying nearly or quite every available water priv- 
ilege, while some, like tanneries, were often on highland 
locations. Since the earlier times, many men have been en- 
gaged in manufactures in this town. We can only men- 
tion some of the more important establishments and 
owners. 

The principal water-power being on the Contoocook 
river, at the village of the same name, which has grown up 
in a large measure in consequence of the local, natural privi- 
leges offered by the stream, there have been a number of 
the more important works in this town. Mills of greater 
or less importance were located early at this point, among 
the operators being Benjamin Hill, who was taxed for mill 
property in this town as early as 1795, and whose family 
name gave the euphonious title of " Hill's Bridge" to the 
present village of Contoocook. As the place increased in 
size and importance, more notable works were established. 
As soon as 1825, Abram Brown was a mill operator or 
owner. In company with John Burnham, he carried on a 
notable business in the lumber and grain line for about 
thirty years. The grist-mill operated by these two men 
was conducted by the sons of John Burnham till the fire of 
1873, which consumed it. In 1826, or thereabouts, Joab 
Patterson established himself here in the business of a 



228 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

clothier. Subsequently lie took into partnership his brother, 
David N., and till about 1860 the two carried on business, 
but subsequently to 1844 following the manufacture of 
woollen cloths, which they sold largely to people in the 
vicinity in exchange for wool or cash. For a short time, 
another brother was connected with them. On the north 
side of the river, a mill, on the site of the present saw-mill 
operated by Frank I. Morrill, was built by Hamilton E. 
Perkins in 1835. It was subsequently burned and re- 
built. The present grist-mill occupies a building erected 
for miscellaneous purposes by H. E. Perkins, a short time 
after his first. Messrs. Kempton & Allen began the manu- 
facture of mackerel kits about 1850, first in the present 
Morrill saw-mill ; afterwards one or both occupied the old 
Patterson factory, where business was kept up till the fire 
of 1873. For a few years subsequently to 1864, Jonathan 
M. and George W. Morrill carried on woollen manufactur- 
ing in the present grist-mill building, which was then the 
property of Capt. Paul R. George or his heirs. In 1874, 
the brothers Morrill & Kempton, kit manufacturers, erected 
a steam mill about a half mile north of the village, which 
was burned in 1883 and afterwards rebuilt. Grinding was 
also done at their mill during the first years of its existence. 
A year or two subsequently to the erection of this mill, 
Colonel E. C. Bailey put in the machinery of the present 
grist-mill, having become the sole owner of the Contoocook 
water-power in 1875. In 1883, the present mill-dam was 
reconstructed, and, in 1887, the whole power was purchased, 
by Walter S. Davis, who now owns all the works except 
the saw-mill of Frank I. Morrill. 

About 1815, Thomas Kast began the manufacture of 
leather on the spot now occupied by Horace J. Chase, em- 
ploying the present water-power. He kept up the business 
for about thirty years, and then sold out to Jonathan 
Osgood. In 1852, the works passed into the hands of Mr. 
Chase, who has made numerous important additions and im- 
provements to them. This establishment has been twice 
burned out — once during its occupancy by Mr. Kast and 
once since owned by Mr. Chase. About 1830, William 
Clough established a mill at what is now known as 
" Cloughville." Several sons of Mr. Clough have since 
been engaged in different kinds of wooden manufactures 
here, and several mills have at times been in operation. As 



A SKETCH OF MANUFACTURES. 229 

soon as 1835, John Smiley became engaged as a miller at 
West Hopkinton, on the site of the old Rowell mill. For 
about thirty years " Smiley's Mills" was a popular grinding 
station for the vicinity. Grinding is no longer done at this 
station. The traveller who now takes his way in the val- 
ley between Putnej^s and Beech hills, crossing the tortuous 
Dolloph's brook where it runs easterly across the road, at 
the site of what was formerly Richard Kimball's mill, will 
hardly conceive that here, where is now nothing but trees 
and bushes, was once a mill three stories in height, where, 
in addition to sawing lumber, the managers ground and 
bolted as good meal*and flour as perhaps can be made at 
any place. Yet it was so. Several parties were at differ- 
ent times interested in this mill. Nathaniel Clement and 
Jeremiah Story once did business in partnership at this 
location. The Clement family was prominently connected 
with this mill in later times. The mill-site was in posses- 
sion of the Story family till 1877. 

About 1835, much enthusiasm was aroused over the 
manufacture of silk. Silk worms and mulberry trees were 
procured from older communities, and work begun in 
earnest. Silk thread and cloth were manufactured, but the 
enterprise died about as suddenly as it was born. The pro- 
ducts of this business cost more than the income. Our 
people could not successfully compete with the cheaper 
labor of Europe. In some instances, remnants of the old 
mulberry orchards can be seen to this day. 

There were two persons who became specially noted for 
their proficiency in silk manufactures. Mrs. Betsey T. Kim- 
ball, wife of Nathaniel, made silk cloth, and once was 
awarded $3 for the best silk dress by 'the Merrimack Coun- 
ty Agricultural Association, better known as the "cattle 
show." Mrs. Kimball's home was on Beech hill, where 
now lives her grandson, Gilman B. Kimball. Mrs. Abram 
Brown, of Putney's hill, was also a manufacturer of silk 
cloth used for dresses. We believe these were the only 
persons who made themselves garments of domestic silk. 

In 1889, the following persons were taxed for property in 
mills, machinery, etc.: Eli A. Boutwell, Frank H. Carr, 
Joseph S. Clough, Harvey Chase, Henry H. Crowell, Walter 
S. Davis, Eliza J. Gage, Frank I. Morrill, John Rogers, Leon 
D. Whittier, Nahum M. Whittier. 



230 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER LXIII. 

A SHORT SKETCH OF TRADE. 

Trade is essential to civilization. An incipient commu- 
nity has its quota of tradesmen. Soon after the first occu- 
pation of the township of Hopkinton, stores, or domestic 
trading posts, for the accommodation of the public, began 
to spring up. Reliable data of the earliest conditions of 
trade in this town are very meagre. In 1791, the follow- 
ing persons were taxed for stock in trade and money at in- 
terest : Capt. Joshua Bailey, Capt. Chase, Daniel Herrick, 
Samuel Harris, Capt. Stephen Harriman, Theophilis Stan- 
ley, and Benjamin Wiggin. It is reasonable to believe 
that only a part of these were engaged in actual traffic in 
merchandise. Some may have been small manufacturers. 
Theophilis Stanley and Benjamin Wiggin were taverners, 
though Wiggin also kept a store, while Stanley worked a 
tannery. 

Many of the conditions and changes that naturally 
affected trade in the early history of Hopkinton have been 
described at length in this work. We have specially men- 
tioned the number of persons taxed for stock in trade in 
1800. We have shown the advance and decline of busi- 
ness prosperity in town in later years. For further specifica- 
tion, we will add that the persons taxed for stock in trade in 
1810 were Abram Brown, Thomas W. Colby, Reuben 
French, Ebenezer Lerned, Isaac Proctor, Theophilis Stan- 
ley, Stephen Sibley, Joseph Towne, and Thomas Williams ; 
in 1820, Buswell & Way, Calvin Campbell, Thomas W. 
Colby, Timothy Darling, George Dean, Thomas Kast, Isaac 
Long, Jr., Ira Morrison, Stephen Sibley, Joseph B. Towne, 
and Thomas Williams. 

In the better days, there was a large wholesale and retail 
business done in Hopkinton village. At one time, Towne 
& Ballard occupied the edifice now used by Charles 
French. The whole lower floor of this building was in use 
by this firm, and uumerous clerks found busy employment, 
while strong teams from the upper country resorted here 
for the products of trade and barter. During this period, 
the stores of Thomas W. Colby, Lerned & Sibley, and 
Thomas Williams were notable places of business. Colby's 




Joseph Stanwood. 



A SHORT SKETCH OF TRADE. 231 

store occupied the corner now used by Kimball & Co.; 
Lerned & Sibley, the building lately occupied by Miss' 
Lydia Story ; Thomas Williams, a building standing be- 
tween Mrs. John S. Kimball's and the Congregational 
meeting-house. t At this time, besides other stores, were the 
usual attendant establishments representing the multiple 
business wants of a complex community. 

In the earlier times, trade was not so closely confined to 
the village as now. One of the outposts of business was 
on the Concord road, near the present residence of Joseph 
L. Hagar. Abel Kimball and Nathaniel Proctor were trad- 
ers at this point, as may have been others. Different par- 
ties have also traded in a store that stood near the present 
residence of Perley W. Beck, at the four corners at « Stump- 
field." Among those trading in Hopkinton village in later 
times, Joseph Stan wood, Stephen B. Sargent, James Fel- 
lows, and Nathaniel Evans are prominent. Among the 
earlier traders in Contoocook was Solomon Phelps. Eben- 
ezer Wyman came to Contoocook about sixty years ago, 
and about forty years traded most of the time, doing a 
miscellaneous business. Herrick Putnam and Isaac D. 
Merrill were also well known merchants in this locality. 

The capital of the state being located at Concord, the 
proximity of Hopkinton to the seat of state government has 
been detrimental to local trade. People who go to Con- 
cord for any purposes implied in the existence of a lar<re 
town will most certainly do more or less of their trading 
there. Concord having also become a market for all kinds 
ot farming produce, it captures the purchases of general 
supplies by our local farmers to a large extent. In consid- 
ering Concord in this manner, we have to include the man- 
ufacturing village of Penacook as a part of the consideration. 
More than this, the city of Manchester is not so far away as 
to prevent it from affecting the conditions of buying and 
selling in Hopkinton. 

There are two stores at present in Hopkinton village. 
Ihey are kept by Kimball & Co. and Charles French, 
-bred trench & Co. conduct a meat market. In Contoo- 
cook, Curtice, Rand & Co. conduct a general store. Thomas 
B. Richardson keeps a miscellaneous store; George H 
Ketchum, stoves, hardware, tin, etc.; Miss Julia M. John- 
son millinery and ladies' goods; Mrs. S. D. McLaughlin, 
millinery. 6 ' 



232 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER LXIV. 

i 

CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 

The reminiscences of a New England town are incom- 
plete without allusions to governmental relations. Many 
governmental facts have been already related. We have 
seen that Hopkinton, to all intents and purposes, did not 
exist as a town till 1765. Not being a township, its legal 
privileges were more limited. It was legally incapable of 
taking its own inventory. In 1761, the selectmen of Bos- 
cawen, then incorporated, were paid X5 for taking the in- 
ventory of New Hopkinton. Becoming a town, with full 
township privileges and powers, Hopkinton at first transacted 
business with the loose tendencies characteristic of the early 
times in New England. In later times, the constitutional 
or statute law determined many methods. For manj^ 
years, town-meetings were held, men voted, and scarcely 
was a vote numerically recorded. Since the incorporation 
of the town, there has been a continuous record of the se- 
lection of moderators, clerks, and selectmen ; but there ap- 
pears to have been no collector chosen till 1793, the taxes 
previously being gathered by a constable. A superintend- 
ing school-committee was chosen in 1810, in open town- 
meeting, and a treasurer in 1821. There has been more or 
less irregularity in the choice of treasurers, collectors, and 
school officers, unless when the statute law has fixed the 
methods of selection, a school board having been elected 
under statute law since 1886, the town acting as a district. 
In earlier times, town-meetings were conducted without 
the preliminary adjunct of a caucus, which is a very recent 
local institution. 

The Revolutionary period developed certain interes'ing 
facts in the history of the method of wording the call, or 
warrant, for town-meetings. Having abjured the author- 
ity of Great Britain, the people were for a time subject 
to a somewhat precarious authority, as the following ob- 
servations indicate : A town-meeting for January 7, 1777, 
was called in the name of the " State of New Hampshire ; " 
one on the next 11th of April, "In the name and Government 
and People ;" one for the 10th of January, 1778, "By order 
of Court ; " one for the next May, " In pursuance of Order 
from the General Assembly." For many years, the warrant 




Herman w. Greene. 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 233 

for town-meeting was posted by a constable, who attested 
accordingly, but later by the selectmen themselves. We 
notice a town-meeting called thus by the selectmen as early 
as 1775. 

In earlier times, certain town officers were chosen annu- 
ally who are not now chosen, or whose offices have fallen 
into desuetude. A field-driver had supervision of the con- 
dition of fences ; a deer-reeve, of the killing of deer ; a hog- 
reeve, of hogs running at large ; a pound-keeper, of cattle, 
sheep, etc., apprehended when at large or astray. An in- 
spector of by-laws had a duty evidently suggested in his 
official title. The duty of a clerk of the market seems to 
be somewhat obscure. The office was evidently transferred 
from the mother country, where the clerk of the market 
had considerable jurisdiction in the conduct of the market ; 
but there does not appear to have been a transfer of the 
English market system to this locality of New Hampshire, 
if indeed any such system ever existed in New England. 

At first, worship, both private and public, was conduct- 
ed in the primitive homes of the settlers of the township. 
On the erection of military posts, or forts, such edifices be- 
came natural, social centres, and worship was conducted in 
one or more of them. As we have seen, the Rev. James 
Scales, first minister of the town, was ordained in Putney's 
Fort, in 1757. During the ministry of Mr. Scales, public 
worship was sometimes conducted at the parsonage. The 
erection of a church determined a permanent place for pub- 
lic religious services. 

The first meeting-house in Hopkinton represented a 
much larger territorial expanse of population than any 
church now extant. Denominational controversies had not 
divided the ranks of the worshippers, nor had local patrons 
of the one church demanded special privileges of their own. 
The distance to the church was long in many cases, and the 
conveyances often only the locomotory means of nature. 

In olden times in this vicinity, though people had the in- 
stinct of personal adornment the same as now, they often 
lacked the means of gratifying it. Extra articles of dress 
were so rare that people frequently walked to church in 
their dailv accustomed garb, or trod the Sunday path with 
a most scrupulous care of their extra wardrode. Women 
sometimes carried the skirts of their Sunday dresses on 



234 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKESTTON. 

their arms till they arrived near or at the church door, when 
they let them fall. The Sunday shoes were often carried 
in the hand till the journey to meeting was nearly ended, 
when they were put on for entrance to the sanctuary. 
Present readers can comprehend the necessity of such care, 
when they reflect that in the olden time the price of a 
week's work of a woman was only equivalent to a yard of 
cloth, or a pair of shoes. 

Church services in the former days were long, and sa- 
vored of dogmatic theology. The principal prayer was much 
longer than the present average sermon, and the discourse 
was proportionally extended. Such prolonged services 
were conducted in winter, at first without the favor of any 
artificial warmth. In contemplating the situation of the 
worshippers in those old wintry days, the bleakness of the 
characteristic meeting-house of the times is to be taken into 
account. In the old Baptist church was an aperture in an 
upper wall, where the crows have been known to perch 
while worship was in progress. The advent of foot- 
stoves gave much relief to the chilly congregations of ear- 
lier times, and the introduction of the general heater put an 
end to the extremer experiences of the wintry Sunday. 

The representative minister of the olden time was a per- 
son of eminent scholarly culture and gentlemanly bearing. 
A thorough scholar and rhetorician, his discourses were 
framed with strict regard to the logical sequences of his 
subject. The numerical divisions of his theme often car- 
ried him among units of the second order ; firstly, secondly, 
and thirdly were only preliminary to thirteenthly, four- 
teen thly, and fifteenthly ; the grand category of predications 
was terminated by a " conclusion." In his loftier intellec- 
tual schemes, he sometimes elaborated whole volumes of 
disquisitional matter. Rev. Ethan Smith, fourth minister in 
town, was the author of several profound theological trea- 
tises. The following are titles of the Rev- Mr. Smith's works : 

A Dissertation on the Prophecies, relating to Anti- 
Christ and the Last Time, Exhibiting the Rise, Character 
and Overthrow of that Terrible Power, and a Treatise 
of the Seven Apocalyptic Vials, by Ethan Smith, A. M., 
Pastor of the church in Hopkinton, N. H. "In the last days 
perilous times shall come." Paul. "Ye have heard that 
Anti-Christ shall come." — John. "The Lion hath roared; 
who shall not fear ? The Lord God hath spoken ; who can 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 235 

but prophesy ?" — Amos. " Blow ye the trumpet iu Zion ; 
sound an alarm in my holy mountains." — Joel. Printed 
and sold by Samuel T. Armstrong, Massachusetts. 1811. 

A Key to the Figurative Language found in the Sacred 
Scriptures in the form of Questions and Answers, by Ethan 
Smith, A. M., Minister in Hopkinton, N. H., — Author of 
Dissertation on the Prophecies. " I have used similitudes." 
— Hosea. "I will open my mouth in parables ; 1 will utter 
dark sayings of old. — That they should make them known 
to their children." — The Psalmist. Exeter : printed by C. 
Norris & Co., and sold at their bookstore. Sold also by E. 
Little & Co., Newburyport. 1814. 

There was a dignity and austerity of manner pertaining 
to the characteristic primitive clergyman that made him a 
pattern of personified seriousness. His grave demeanor on 
his parochial rounds, when he spoke directly upon the obli- 
gations of personal religion, made his presence in the house- 
hold a suggestion of profound respect and awe. He im- 
pressed his personality upon the receptive social element of 
his parish. The deacons became only minor pastors, and 
the whole congregation of believers expressed in subdued 
form the character of the shepherd of the flock. 

The austere influence of religion upon society in the 
olden time was attested by the legal strictures upon travel- 
ling, idling, etc., on Sunday, of which conduct the tything- 
men were to take cognizance. Tything-men were chosen in 
this town as late as 1843, when Charles Barton, Samuel Fra- 
zier, and Daniel Chase were selected. The law requiring 
such choice had even then become virtually a dead letter. 

The lease of the parsonage lands in 1798 incurred an an- 
nual revenue which was proportionately divided among the 
existing societies till the year 1853. In the year 1842,. 
when the town for the first time published a printed report 
of its pecuniary transactions, the last division of parsonage 
money was declared to be as follows : 

1st Congregational society, $27.88 

2d " « 4.39 

Calvinist Baptist " 13.88 

Union " « 16.12 

Episcopalian " 9.64 

1st Universalist " 4.21 

2d " " 10.31 

Methodist " 1.43 
The round sum was set down at $88. 



236 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

The 2d Congregational society dropped out of the list in 
1851. The last allowance to this society was fifty-six cents. 
The town report of the year 1853 contained the following 
and last list of apportionments of parsonage money : 

Congregational society, $30.09 



Union Baptist 
Calvinist " 
Episcopalian 
1st Universalist 
2d 
Methodist, 



19.04 

15.72 

4.40 

7.57 
7.10 
4.18 



The total of this list was also set down in round numbers at $88. 

The above figures are suggestive in presenting a view of 
the relative strength of the different societies at the specific 
times stated. It is interesting to note' that certain of the 
societies soon lost all traces of even a nominal existence, 
after the suspension of the parsonage revenues. For some 
time, they had kept up a show of vitality by making their 
portion of the parsonage fund a nucleus of an outlay for a 
few days' preaching in the year. 

In the march of the years, the old peculiarities of local 
religious life have given place to new features and forms. 
It is needless to say that some of the old formalities died 
hard. Innovations were distrusted. The experience in 
view of proposed changes was substantially uniform in all 
the churches. Even the staid Episcopalians were ruffled 
by unaccustomed ceremonies. When, for the first time, 
the. choir of the Episcopal church chanted the Gloria 
Patri, which before had been read only, an indignant lady 
abruptly shut her prayer-book in unfeigned disgust. The 
greater jealousy formerly existing between different denom- 
inations is well known. It is said this inharmonious feel- 
ing was once sought to serve an innovating use. A per- 
son prominent in musical circles sought to influence the 
leading minds of the Congregational church in favor of the 
purchase of a bass-viol. As an extreme argumentative 
resort, he suggested, " The poor, miserable Baptists have 
got one." Tradition, however, doesn't relate the effect 
of this suggestion. 

The first church music was Congregational. The hymns 
were often " deaconed " by some person whose superior 
musical abilities were popularly recognized. In time peo- 




iiiTii'ijifii iimriiifi'iii 



Summer Cottage of Horace G. Chase. 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 237 

pie began to desire something better. The influence of 
musical societies, organized in different parts of New Eng- 
land, was exercising an important influence upon the 
tastes of the people. The old " Central" society, early or- 
ganized at Concord, contained members from Hopkinton. 

With a proper social stimulus, progress in music culmi- 
nated in a marked degree. The church choir sometimes in- 
cluded as many as fifty voices. Various instruments were 
used as accompaniments. In 1800, there were four bass- 
viols, to say nothing of violins, clarinets, or other instru- 
ments, in the Congregational choir. There were also local 
celebrities among the singers, players, and composers of 
music. Among them were Isaiah Webber, Jeremiah Story, 
and Isaac Long. Orchestral music continued to be em- 
ployed in the Congregational church till about 1850, when 
a seraphine was purchased and put in the gallery. In 1872, 
the seraphine was superseded by an elegant organ, at the 
cost of 11800. 



CHAPTER LXV. 

CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 

[Continued.] 

The first school-houses in town, of uncertain date, were 
probably framed buildings, but of very humble appearances. 
They were frequently unpainted, and soon revealed the 
effects of the elements. Inside, their walls were closed 
with plain wainscoting, which rapidly grew dingy with 
time. The seats were arranged on an inclined plane, while 
the procumbent portions were set with hinges, enabling 
them to be let up with a clatter and down again with a 
bang. The teacher's desk was frequently stationary, and 
sometimes a complete inclosure, in which the instructor 
could seclude himself, and be approached onl} r in one direc- 
tion, as in -an ancient church pulpit. The huge fireplace 
was an important particular in the outfit of an old-fashioned 
school-house, devouring large quantities of fuel in winter, as 
well as also sometimes favoring the roasting of a potato by 
some hungry scholar at noontime. In summer the other- 



238 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPIQNTON. 

wise empty volume of the fireplace was frequently filled 
with green boughs, giving the internal uncouth structure 
a more tasty appearance. 

In former times, as now, the school-teacher in a great 
measure represented the popular idea of social culture. 
Dignity and learning were considered inseparable personal 
qualities, and in the teacher they largely culminated in an 
excess of firmness and sternness. Too little consideration 
of the gentler elements and principles implied in childish 
disciplinary needs was entertained by the head of all knowl- 
edge in the country school-district. Instruction was mostly 
the ultimatum of reputed and even officious authority. The 
rod was by no means withheld in the enforcement of the 
dominant ideal. So boys and girls were taught to read, 
spell, write, cipher, and, perchance, gained a smattering of 
grammar and geography. 

Many school-books were used in both the common and 
high schools in the earlier history of the town. This re- 
mark specially illustrates the truth in relation to what 
might be called text-books in the common branches. 
Among reading-books in use were the American Precep- 
tor, the Columbian Orator, and Scott's Lessons. Webster's 
Speller was a leading reliance for many years. There were 
Perry's and Walker's dictionaries, Adams's and Pike's 
arithmetics, Murray's Grammar (Abridgment and Sequel), 
Young Ladies' Accidence (grammatical), Pope's Essay on 
Man (for analysis and parsing), Morse's and Worcester's 
geographies, etc., etc. In higher English there were 
Blake's Philosophy, Ferguson's Astronomy, Sumner's Bot- 
any, etc. In classics, Liber Primus (containing the first 
chapters of Genesis for translation into English), Select a 
Profanis, and others. There were globes and atlases for 
illustration in geography, but no other special articles of 
school apparatus, excepting slates, pencils, and rulers. The 
reading-books were classical and choice in their selections. 
Geography was sometimes taught in reading-lessons. Most 
of the English text-books were in some particulars inferior 
to modern ones of similar grade. Arithmetical problems 
were sometimes presented in unique forms, or were mere 
Tiddles. 

The country store of the earliest times was a more 
emphatic collection of multitudinous varieties of articles, 




John F. Jones. 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 239 

if possible, than the later place of local public traffic. 
Then, as now, the local store was the principal resort of 
the great commonalty. Men of special vocations some- 
times took a stock of products to the lower country and 
bartered for goods to bring back and distribute among their 
neighbors, and the itinerant merchant, or peddler, reaped a 
much better harvest than now ; but the country store was 
a popular necessity, and well patronized. At first, there 
was less trading in domestic luxuries : the goods in store 
represented the common necessities. Since the popular 
idea of necessity does not fully exclude the illusory prin- 
ciple, we have to admit rum, gin, brandy, etc. into the 
former list of domestic staples. Cash and barter were 
entertained by every tradesman, to whom the populace 
largely looked for advantageous exchanges of substance. 
The progress of the settlement was attended by the exten- 
sion, and to some extent by the classification, of trade, till 
the time when Hopkinton assumed the commercial impor- 
tance described in previous chapters. 

The currency employed in the transaction of business 
was at first nominally English, though Spanish milled dol- 
lars were in circulation. One of the inconveniences of the 
early settlers was a scarcity of money. The different pro- 
vincial governments sought to relieve the public financial 
burdens by the issue of bills of credit, a currency men- 
tioned in the records of this town as "old tenor." The 
colonial customs developed the ascriptions "new tenor," 
" middle tenor," and " old tenor," according to the length 
of time bills of credit had been in circulation. 

Such a circulating medium in such a time could onlv 
depreciate in value, but, following a custom obtaining in 
the old country, the purchasing value of these bills could 
from time to time be fixed by the local legislatures. About 
the year 1750, it was established throughout the provinces 
that <£1 in the currency of the bills of credit in old tenor 
should be equivalent to two shillings and eight pence law- 
ful money, and that six shillings should be equal to one 
■dollar. 

The preliminary events of the Revolution involved the 
establishment of a system of continental currency. At the 
time of the first issue of a paper circulating medium, in 
1775, the continental notes were nearly at par with gold, 



240 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

but they soon fell to comparative nothingness in value. 
The effect of this collapse in monetary matters was amply 
illustrated in the public transactions of the town of Hop- 
kinton. When the salary of the Rev. Elijah Fletcher, sec- 
ond minister of the town, was voted to be $4,000 for the 
year, the reverend pastor preferred to accept $75 in gold 
equivalents, and declined the larger nominal sum. The 
success of the American cause, and the permanent estab- 
lishment of the public credit, gave a correspondingly im- 
proved aspect to local affairs, and in later times this town 
has experienced fluctuations in prices in common with the 
general country. 

During the period of Hopkinton's greater importance as 
a commercial station, a bank was maintained here for a few 
years. This institution was known as the Franklin Bank, 
and was incorporated in 1833. The grantees were Horace 
Chase, Nathaniel Gilman, Isaac Long, Jr., William Little, 
Joseph Stanwood, Matthew Harvey, Andrew Leach, Moses 
Gould, Ebenezer Dustin, Timothy Chandler, Stephen Dar- 
ling, and James Huse. The operations of this bank seem 
to have been exceedingly bungling during the short term 
of its existence, and it finally settled with its creditors at 
ninety cents, on a dollar. The Franklin Bank occupied 
the building now used by the Hopkinton post-office and 
public library. 

The standard of quantities to be recognized in commer- 
cial transactions has, from remote times, been a subject of 
legal regulation. The weights and measures first used in 
this town were the standards of older communities. In 
the year 1804, the town of Hopkinton recorded the local 
adopted weights and measures, as we have seen. For 
many years a public hay-scales occupied a site in the rear 
of the Congregational meeting-house. It was simply an 
immense scale beam and platform, the whole apparatus 
being covered with a roof. It long ago passed away to 
give place to the modern hay-scales. 

We have already detailed many facts relating to the pro- 
gressive construction of highways in this town. We have 
also noted the important position the town once occupied 
on a great line of northern and southern travel. In the 
progress of time, certain roads became important in view 
of their aid in shortening long thoroughfares. The road 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 241 

from Putney's hill to Hopkinton village, constructed in 
1805, was only one link in a chain of causes implying a 
shorter distance between the southern centres of New 
England trade and the northern locations of New England 
or Canadian enterprise. The Londonderry Branch Turn- 
pike shortened the distance; so did the new road to Dun- 
barton ; the same object was implied in the Basset Mill 
road. The long controversy over the Basset Mill road 
resulted from the foreseen tendency it would have to turn 
travel and traffic from Hopkinton village. The shorter 
road from Hopkinton to Henniker was for the promotion 
of a better thoroughfare between Concord and Keene. 
The struggle over this highway implied largely the dreaded 
expense of the implied bridge over the Contoocook river. 
The so called new road to Concord, avoiding the toilsome 
Dimond's hill, was constructed about 1841. The introduc- 
tion of the railroad changed many aspects of travel implied 
in existing highways. The old stage lines disappeared. 
However, the railroad company ran a stage between Con- 
toocook and Hopkinton village, by which the mails were 
brought to the latter place. After a number of years, cer- 
tain private parties put a stage on the line between Con- 
toocook and Concord, and it eventually carried the Hop- 
kinton mail, which arrived from Concord. Later, the 
stage line was limited between Hopkinton and Concord, 
as it now exists, David L. Gage being the present proprie- 
tor. 

We now touch briefly the subject of messages, the facili- 
ties for the conveyance of which having increased greatly 
since the earlier days of the town. At first, the ability to 
transmit messages depended upon the gratuitous accommo- 
dations of public travel. A person wishing to send a letter 
to a relative or friend forwarded it by any person who hap- 
pened to be journeying that way. By this popular method 
of transmitting messages, the taverns became general dis- 
tributing post-offices. Sometimes a strip of tape tacked 
above the fireplace of the public house became a support 
for letters. The transient traveller looked over the list,, 
and, selecting any bound in the direction he was going, 
took them along. By this method, the time required for 
conveyance from one point to another was governed much 
by uncertainties. Months were sometimes required for 
16 



242 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

messages to reach their destination, at distances now ac- 
complished regularly in less time than a day. The intro- 
duction of a public mail service removed a great inconven- 
ience. The earlier mails were first carried through this 
region by horsemen, and afterwards by drivers of vehicles. 
Subsequently, the public stage became the means of con- 
veyance ; the railroad crowned the accommodations in this 
direction till the telegraph afforded the transportation of 
the most momentous matters. 

The first post-office in Hopldnton was established April 
1, 1811. John Harris was the first post-master. The first 
post-office in Contoocook was established March 5, 1831. 
Thomas Burnham was the first post-master. The post-office 
at West Hopldnton was established May 29, 1857. Joseph 
P. Dow was post-master. 

A telegraphic office was opened in Contoocook in 1866. 
Levi W. Dimond was the first operator. In 188-1, a tele- 
phone office was opened in the store of Kimball & Co., in 
Hopldnton village, the firm occupying the store now 
used by Charles French. The same year another was 
opened in the depot at Contoocook, Amos H. Currier, 
agent. 

In the earlier half of the present century, there were en- 
terprises instituted in Hopldnton that, though in part 
maintained till now, would have advanced to schemes of 
greater public importance if the public position once occu- 
pied by this town had never been changed. One of these 
enterprises was the Hopldnton Village Aqueduct associa- 
tion. Water is a domestic necessity, and wells for water 
are contemporaneous with history. The first wells in Hop- 
ldnton village were in many instances impracticable, for 
two reasons. The earth in this vicinity is sandy and 
porous to a great depth, and drawing water long distances 
is not a desirable employment. An old well on the prem- 
ises of Horace Edmunds is reputed to be seventy feet in 
depth. Again, the quality of the soil is so slightly con- 
creted that wells are in constant danger of falling in. A 
number of wells have disappeared in consequence of the 
lightness of the soil in this village. People have been 
disturbed by a rumble and tremor of the earth, and have 
investigated the phenomenon to find that their well had 
disappeared. Once an attempt was made to purify the old 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 243 

Wiggin well, better known as the "town well," since it oc- 
cupied a position in the public street. Preparations were 
made for descent into it, and a man stalled down to begin 
fche work of purification. He accomplished only a part of 
the descent, returning to state with much concern that 
there was a large chasm in the side, caused by the caving 
of the earth. The project of improvement was abandoned. 
This well has been closed a number of years. 

A general need prompted t he. formation of the Aqueduct 
Association, which was incorporated in L840. The grantees 
were Horace Chase, Nathaniel Curtis, Joseph Stanwood, 
Isaac Long, Moses Kimball, Ariel P. Knowlton, William 
Little, and Reuben E. French. Water was drawn at lirst 
by means of logs from springs on the eastern slope of Put- 
ney's hill, about half a mile from the centre of the village, 
the site of the supply being on the land of Abraham Burn- 
ham. The water 01 these springs IS very pure and sweet. 

An important protective enterprise was implied in the 
formation of the Hopkinton Engine Company, which was 
incorporated in the year 1814. The grantees were benja- 
min Wiggin, Joseph Towne, Thomas Williams, Ebenezer 
Lerned, John (). Ballard, Stephen Sibley, and (heir associ- 
ates. This company was in active existence till about 
1852. During the warmer season of the year, it was its 
custom to meet monthly for a trial exercise. The com- 
pany was marshalled by the strokes of the meeting-house 
bell, the engine taken to some reservoir, the tank filled by 
buckets, and the propelling power of the machine tested. 

About the time of the last practical usefulness of the 
Hopkinton Engine Company, an attempt was made to ele- 
vate the village into a precinct. A legal controversy 
thwarted the plan, which has since been revived. For 
many years, two tanks with pumps, supplied from the aque- 
duct, were in existence in anticipation of dangers by fire. 
A chemical fire engine was purchased by subscription in 
1872 for use in Hopkinton lower village. 

The Contooeook Village; Engine Company was incorpora- 
ted in 1831. Isaac Bailey, 3d, John Whipple, Rollin White, 
Joseph B. Towne, and associates, were grantees. This 
organization is still in effective existence. Contooeook 
was elevated to a precinct in 1864. 

After the burning of the Mt. Putney House, in Decem- 
ber, 1886, the people of Hopkinton village revived the sub- 



244 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ject of a local fire precinct, which was formed the next 
March. Aaron Smith, Elmer B. Dunbar, and Charles 
French were the first fire wards. The Fire King Engine 
Company was also organized, with Abner J. Osborn, fore- 
man, George A. S. Kimball, 1st assistant, Horatio E. Clough, 
2d assistant, and William C. Russ, clerk and treasurer. An 
engine, hose carriage, and appurtenances were ultimately 
purchased, an engine-house fitted up, several new reservoirs 
constructed, and the village .put in a state of defence against 
possible fires. 



CHAPTER LXVI. 

CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 
[Continued.] 

It is now our purpose briefly to consider military cus- 
toms. We have historically witnessed the urgent need of 
military defence by the early settlers of Hopkinton. The 
attendance of the military at public gatherings was often 
required. Arms bristled in the air when, in 1757, the first 
ordination of a minister took place in Hopkinton. It is 
said that the present prevailing custom of seating the male 
members of religious congregations in the heads of pews 
arose from the primitive habit of locating the soldiery in a 
similar manner. It must be remembered, however, that in 
the earlier times in this vicinity every able-bodied man was 
considered in a general sense a person of military precau- 
tions, if not one of actual martial occupation. 

The existence of an organized soldiery implies the prac- 
tice of military evolution or drill. A " training-field," for 
the accommodation of military practice, was selected very 
early in this town. The determination of American Inde- 
pendence incurred a reestablishment of a military system. 
Under the new political regime, the law of 1792, with some 
modifications, provided for all the accidental local military 
facts it is necessary in this connection to mention till the 
year 1851. This ancient law provided for practice at arms 
at least three times each year, by all persons liable to mili- 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 245 

tary duties. In compliance with legal provisions, for many 
years the soldiery of Hopkinton were accustomed to prac- 
tise tactics once in May and once in September, the days 
selected being known respectively as spring and fall train- 
ing-days, upon which company drill alone was practised. 
A regimental muster occurred annually in the month of 
September, the date of the occasion being determined by 
official authority of the regiment ; the place of assembling 
was in some one of the towns represented in the command, 
the practice of alternating locations being in vogue. The 
plains land south of Contoocook village, the interval below 
Tyler's bridge, on the south side of the river, and the spot 
occupied by the new graveyard, east of the lower village, 
have been used as muster-fields in this town. 

A soldier of the regular infantry was required to appear 
at training or muster, armed with a gun and bayonet of his 
own purchase, as well as equipped with a knapsack, can- 
teen, cartridge-box and belt, priming-wire and brush, and 
two extra flints. In later years of the old military service, 
a member of an u independent" or uniformed company was 
furnished a gun by the state. Commissioned officers were 
required to procure their own arms. At company train- 
ings, the three commissioned officers — captain, lieutenant, 
and ensign, or second lieutenant — were charged with the 
duty of inspecting arms and equipments, imposing corre- 
sponding fines if any were found deficient in number or 
quality ; at muster, a similar duty devolved upon the regi- 
mental inspecting officer. The inspection finished, the 
company or regiment was duly exercised in military evolu- 
tions and the manual of arms. 

Public military parade was usually conducted with a 
decorum appropriate to the imperative character of sol- 
dierly discipline. In some instances, the excellence in tac- 
tics was eminently superior. The best skill depended upon 
the executive character of the commanders. The system 
of general military practice sometimes developed officers 
that could direct a company through a variety of evolutions 
without speaking a word, the motion of the sword desig- 
nating the order of movement. Col. William Colby, of 
this town, was one thus skilled. The use of gunpowder 
was not legally exacted upon the instance of parade, though 
powder was sometimes used b}* popular agreement or cus- 
tom. The sham-fight, a favorite exercise of muster-day, 



246 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

was an occasion of much blank firing, when the whole reg- 
iment — cavalry, artillery, infantry, and riflemen — divided 
in the semblance of two hostile bands, struggled in a grand 
melee for the honors of a quasi victory. The legitimate 
programme of a sham-fight implied the attempt of a con- 
tending force to surround and capture another, or to deploy 
its own ranks so skilfully as to prevent a surprisal, while 
all the time a great display of tumultuous gunnery was 
indulged. Such contests were always exciting, and liable 
at any time to end in a riotous demonstration of local pride 
and jealousy. Local feuds engendered in sham-fights were 
often perennial in duration, developing at times to such a 
fever of animosity that the officers of the regiment were 
impelled to make prudence the better part of valor and dis- 
pense with the fight altogether, lest it should become too 
dangerously real in character. 

The dangerous heat of military enthusiasm was once 
emphatically illustrated by the boys of this town. Two 
rival companies of amateur militia, respectively from the 
upper and lower villages, met on the highway, in what is 
now the Gage district, and contended so desperateby that the 
populace became alarmed and caused the arrest of the com- 
bat. The commanders of these companies were Benjamin 
Jewell, of the upper, and Hamilton E. Perkins, of the lower 
village. There was also about this time a third company 
of boys, in Blackwater district ; it was commanded by Sam- 
uel B. Straw. 

The time appropriated to a company training was gen- 
erally half of a day. A general muster of the regiment 
occupied a whole day. No legal provision was made for 
the conveyance of soldiers to the place of rendezvous, and 
individuals often straggled along the way to the training- or 
muster-field, their gay uniforms making them the observed 
of all observers. Since the place of regimental muster 
alternated among the different towns represented in the 
command, the distance required to reach it often demanded 
a start of many hours in advance. The spot reached, both 
the tents of the regiment and private or public accommo- 
dations were often required to lodge the troops. Experi- 
ences akin to the actual life of war were often realized in 
this military housing. Muster service was at best a hard 
one, and many a youth who looked forward with fond an- 
ticipation to the time when he, too, should be a happy sol- 




Alpheus R. Brown. 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 247 

dier, lived to count the years that must pass away so slowly 
before he should be exempt from a duty that had become 
as irksome as it had once seemed fascinating. The duties 
of a common soldier of militia were at first performed with- 
out pay, though he received his dinner, or its equivalent, 
on muster-days. Commissioned officers of militia received 
no salary, but received such other compensation as was 
given to privates of the same command. They could be 
exempted from military duty, however, after an official ser- 
vice of a term of years. At first the town provided a din- 
ner of bread and beef for the regiment at muster ; later, an 
equivalent of thirty-one cents was allowed ; last, fifty cents 
was appropriated as a means of a soldier's refreshment. 
In later times, also, the members of uniformed companies 
received each a compensation of $1.50 a year, paid them, at 
muster and immediately after satisfactory inspection, by 
the selectmen. The sum paid was reckoned as the equiva- 
lent of fifty cents for each of two attendances at company 
training and one at muster. 

There were both lawyers and doctors in early times in 
Hopkinton, though at first the social outlines of the legal 
and medical profession were not very distinctly drawn. 
Illustrative of this fact, we have the historical evidence 
that, in the course of his life, the Rev. James Scales not 
only preached theolog}^, but also practised law and medi- 
cine. In early days, much more reliance was placed upon 
the local justice of the peace, who was dignified with the 
title of " 'Squire." The local " Doctor " was not always a 
learned man, in the sense of having enjoyed great special 
training for his chosen life's work. The professional physi- 
cian of the earlier times was practically beholden, in a 
large degree, to his knowledge of the reputation of purely 
domestic remedies. The first physicians in this vicinity 
were often educated solely under the tutorship of reputable 
practitioners in their respective localities. Yet they were 
relatively skilful, as a body, in their day and generation, 
while some of them enjoyed extra repute. Laboring in an 
incipient community, much often depended on the personal 
self-possession of the primitive physician. When a person 
is often called upon to represent the only individual reli- 
ance of a dependent circle, he naturally becomes an object 
of a confidence that rises to the degree of superstition. A 



248 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

resolute and prudent physician, the object of such intense 
regard, can use his position in promoting effects lying on 
the border land of mystery. 

The curative art was of necessity largely popular in its 
exercise in the earlier days. Men and women of more or 
less natural acumen and acquired judgment would supply 
facts and traditions of the medical value of sundry herbs, 
roots, barks, and other domestic resources in the instance of 
the various ills that afflict the human body. Confidence 
inspired from such source annually replenished the earlier 
homes of this vicinity with a profusion of herbal packages 
and bundles, provided against the dreaded prospective 
wants of the sickened individual or household. Rummag- 
ing through this domestic materia medica. one could find 
specific reliefs for fevers, chills, aches, eruptions, etc., the 
efficac}" of which was as firmly reputed as any specific in 
the officinal list of the professional corps to-day. The cura- 
tive products of the concocting skill of some local or itin- 
erant domestic practitioner of extraordinary repute were 
often regarded as indispensable household equipments. 
Most likely some famous plaster or salve, or some re- 
nowned liniment, was included in the list of special 
reliances. 

Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, who became a resident of this 
town as early as 1793, was the first liberally educated phy- 
sician of the town. With him began a new order of pro- 
fessional things in the local medical world, the old, partially 
instructed practitioner disappearing, and the new medical 
graduate taking his place. It may be proper to remark 
that the earlier physicians, while claiming to be allopathic 
in theory, were largely eclectic in practice. 

An itinerant doctor of repute in this town was Dr. Sam- 
uel Flao-o-, who carried a stock of medicines and travelled 

DO 1 

on foot. He seemed to have been esteemed by many adults, 
but greatly feared by the children, who regarded him as a 
monster having mysterious and dreadful uses for children, 
especially if they had red hair. Dr. Flagg's practice ex- 
tended to many towus in this vicinity, but no one seems to 
have claimed him as a resident. Being intemperate, this 
locally noted practitioner is said to have died in a slough. 

About the year 1820, a violent epidemic, known as the 
4i throat distemper," sadly afflicted the people of this town. 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 249 

Mostly, or wholly, it attacked the children and youth of 
the locality, seventy-two of whom are said to have died by 
its stroke. This distemper, contrary to a conception some- 
times indulged, was apparently pathologically distinct from 
diphtheria, though it may have been somewhat similar in 
its manifestations. The physician treating this malady 
with the best success was Dr. Michael Tubbs, of Deering, 
who had nineteen patients in this town, and saved them 
all but one, whom he pronounced beyond help when called 
to the bedside. The principal remedy used by Dr. Tubbs 
was balsam of fir, employing at the same time a cervical 
bandage of black sheep's wool saturated with salt and 
vinegar. 



CHAPTER LXVII. 

CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 

[Continued.] 

In the early days of this township, the domestic customs 
were copied from the older districts of Massachusetts, and 
were largely in common with those of all rural New Eng- 
land, bo tar as the conditions of this primitive wilderness 
would allow. The dwellings were at first small and incom- 
modious, as well as built of logs. Such habitations were 
often, if not always, fioorless, with seldom if ever more 
than one room, though they might have afforded a loft for 
the depositing of articles, or for sleeping purposes. An 
open fireplace and a chimney, and sometimes an oven, were 
necessary appendages of a local domestic establishment. 
Subsequently to the 1< g hut followed the framed house. 
Framed houses were largely built upon a substantially uni- 
form plan. A huge chimney-stack, a brick oven, and fire- 
places proportioned in number to the represented compe- 
tency of the owner, occupied a central position in every 
dwelling. The back part of the house was mostly taken 
up by the kitchen, which was often Hanked on one 
side by three small apartments — a buttery, an entry, and a 
cellar-way. The last was generally surmounted by a stair- 
way leading to the chamber or attic, by a door opening 



250 LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKINTON. 

from the entry. A front room and an entry, the latter in 
front of the chimney-stack, and often large enough to con- 
tain a bed, completed the accommodations of the lower 
floor. The chamber was generally an open space covered 
by the naked roof. This description, however, applies to 
the house of the poorer resident. Sometimes an additional 
joint, affording two extra rooms, a front and a back, was 
built to the structure ; sometimes, also, the original plan 
allowed two square front rooms, a front entry, and a 
kitchen in the rear, flanked by such accommodations as 
the taste of the builder directed, but very often on one side 
by the buttery, entry, and stair-ways, and on the other by a 
bed-room. 

As the material prosperity of the early inhabitants in- 
creased, there was evinced a decided inclination to build 
houses with two stories. Many of the two-storied houses 
erected were essentially duplicates of the apartments of 
prevailing lower edifices. The matter of size was appar- 
ently entertained as an element of importance in the con- 
struction of two-storied houses. Pride may have borne its 
part in this matter, since some of these large buildings were 
never finished completely. On the other hand, the early 
attractions of the newer western country and of larger 
towns left many of the provided prospective domestic 
accommodations unneeded. 

The early framed houses in this vicinity were very 
strongly built. Near the top of Putney's hill stands the first 
parsonage in the town, said to be also the first two storied 
house, built for the Rev. James Scales, the first minister. 
The ancient edifice is 36 feet and 4 inches in length, and 
28 feet and 4 inches in width. Its posts are 15 feet high, 
and the slope of the roof is 10 feet. The corner and side 
posts are of solid oak, 8 inches square, with expansions at 
the top for the accommodation of upper timbers. The 
plates, of clear, solid hard pine, are 10i by 7 inches ; the 
attic beams, of similar stuff, are 8 by 8 inches ; the rafters, 
of oak, are 6 by 5 inches, the end ones also being braced ; 
the oak ribs are 6 by 3 inches. The fact that $400 has been 
spent upon this house since its occupation by the Rev. 
James Scales (and it is even now unfinished) suggests 
some idea of the rudeness of the home of that pious gentle- 
man. This house, like many others of its time, was located 
with its front to the south, thus enabling it to serve as a 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 251 

sun-dial. This custom of locating houses was often followed 
without regard to the position occupied with respect to the 
highway. 

The ancient kitchen fireplace was the largest of all, and 
yearly devoured immense quantities of fuel, selected and 
arranged as fore-stick, back-stick, and superimposed mate- 
rial. Resting on fire-dogs or andirons, the fuel burned, 
while pots and kettles, suspended on the crane by pot-hooks 
and trammels, contained the resolving culinary prepara- 
tions of divers kinds. Baking was done by the reflecting 
surfaces of the tin baker, or by the cruder method of bury- 
ing the material to be cooked in the ashes. The brick oven 
was also periodically brought into requisition in the prepa- 
ration of food. 

The introduction of stoves gradually brought about a 
revolution in domestic affairs. The work of change began 
about seventy or eighty years ago. The innovation was at 
first attended with scorn. Necessity, however, wrought its 
own modified results in spite of captious opposition. Dan- 
iel Chase is said to have been the owner of the first stove 
ever used in this town. It was of very thick iron castings, 
and much heavier than an average stove of a later day. 
Among the patterns of stoves first introduced were the 
James, the Morse, and the Moore. Neither of these would 
compare favorably with the later styles of kitchen stoves, 
either in economy of fuel or in ease of culinary results. How- 
ever, the adoption of the first stoves was an important step 
in the path of domestic prudence. With a continued com- 
plement of ancient fireplaces in every dwelling-house, the 
native supply of fuel before this time would have been 
practically exhausted. 

In the earliest days of this settlement, the fire of the 
domestic hearth was renewed by the use of flint, a steel, 
and a supply of tinder. The introduction of the lucifer 
match put an end to the less convenient practice of kind- 
ling. The introduction of the ancient clocks, with open 
works and visible pendent weights, relieved society of the 
necessity of locating dwelling-houses directly with respect 
to the cardinal points of the compass. Many ancient clocks 
were made by Abel and Levi Hutchins, of Concord. Some- 
times the uncased works were purchased of the manufac- 
turers and afterwards enclosed. David Young is said to 
have been the maker of the first clock-case constructed 



252 LIFE AND TIMES EN HOPKINTON. 

here. In the rooms of the New Hampshire Antiquarian 
Society, at Contoocook, may be seen the first complete tall 
clock ever brought into this town. It was made in 1733 
by Ionathan Blasdel, and was brought to this town in 1776 
hy Benjamin B. Darling. The tall enclosed clock was in 
its turn superseded by timepieces of still more modern con- 
struction. The kitchen ware, sometimes of wood, or of 
porcelain, or of pewter, exhibited features of less distinctive 
importance, though of different relative value when china 
was as rare as now is silver, and pewter as rare as china. 
The general furniture of a household, of which there are 
so many lingering representations, needs no special descrip- 
tion. 

Out of doors, improved utensils were adopted as time 
advanced. We have already given some account of these 
in our chapter on agriculture. Joshua Morse owned the 
first wheelbarrow used in town. The wheel was a simple, 
solid truck, wrought from a piece of plank. This imple- 
ment was in use many years ago. The first wagon had 
wooden axles, and the body had no braces or springs. The 
seat was suspended on a pair of wooden strips running 
longitudinally, and acting in some degree as springs. The 
first sleigh was double, being capable of containing at least 
six persons. The first single sleigh was owned by Jonathan 
Chase, father of Daniel. The first wagon seat, like the first 
sleigh seat, contained a cavity or " box " for the convenient 
transportation of different articles. 

We have already, in a previous chapter, spoken of each 
household of the olden time as a local manufactory. Men, 
women, and children wore largely only cloths of domestic 
manufacture. Wool was carded, spun, and woven by hand, 
fulled at the mill, and at home made into garments for 
both sexes. Flax was treated in a similar manner. The 
implements employed in the manipulation of wool and flax 
can now be found scattered here and there in different 
places. Cotton was frequently purchased in the form of 
yarn, and woven in textile combination with wool. The 
laborious and slow production of fabrics necessitated a 
stinted economy in dress. Women's gowns had fewer 
breadths, and both sexes had fewer changes of raiment. 
The provision of comfortable supplies of domestic conven- 
iences required diligent labor of the whole available house- 
hold throughout the year. 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 253 

In the olden time, as now, improvements were at first 
within the privileges of the wealthier class. Consequently 
they were more properly included in the department of 
domestic luxuries. As the local tendencies of population 
became more defined, the village became the natural centre 
of refined domestic attractions. Here luxuries early be- 
came more generally known than in the more rural dis- 
tricts, and their glare and fascination proportionally influ- 
enced the imagination of the less favorably endowed. To 
cite a case : John Harris, Esq., owned the first floor carpet 
ever seen in Hopkinton. The introduction of this luxury 
excited unmeasured popular comment. 

The privilege of socially commingling is always highly 
esteemed in every local community. Very soon after the 
settlement of this town, the universal taste for sociability 
began to exhibit itself. People met in lesser circles with 
their private friends, or joined the general company on 
occasions of greater social festivity. In every locality, 
more stated occasions of popular gatherings were selected 
or set apart. In the earlier days of this township, a " rais- 
ing " naturally became the incentive to a popular demon- 
stration of sociability. The erection of the frame of an 
important edifice brought out the majority of the entire 
settlement — men, women, and children. It was often fol- 
lowed by a grand demonstration of hilarity. When, at 
least one hundred years ago, Jeremiah Story raised the 
frame of his two-storied dwelling-house, the younger peo- 
ple of the neighborhood supplemented the event by a grand 
party in the temporary house of their host, where some of 
them " danced all night till broad day-light." The au- 
tumnal husking was another occasion of joviality. Both 
sexes collected at huskings, shucked the corn-ears, paid 
forfeits of red ones, consumed a hearty supper, of which 
baked beans, pumpkin pies, and attendant gratuities of the 
farmer's kitchen formed an important part, and frequently 
crowned the festivity with a social dance to the music of 
the violin. When instrumental music was wanting, danc- 
ing was kept up by the jingling melody of the best singers 
in the company. 

Hopkinton being several times the seat of the state gov- 
ernment, and always close to the permanent capital, inau- 
guration day, or " 'lection," naturally afforded the people of 



254 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

this town a regularly recurring opportunity to exercise 
their taste for social amusement. The fascination of offi- 
cial dignity, the display of militia, and the accidental array 
of attractive and diverting sights and sounds, all conspired 
to present an entertainment not likely to be overlooked by 
the masses of any society. Training- and muster-days also 
implied attractions appealing to the same social passion. 
The muster-day, particularly, was a time of greater local 
interest and excitement. The mimic war, attended by the 
thousand and one attractions that always cluster around 
an out-door public exhibition, set the hearts of the whole 
community agog. Nor would our references be complete 
unless we mentioned further those opportunities of social 
festivity arising from the general inter-dependence of soci- 
ety in the prosecution of personal enterprises. The saising 
and husking are only preliminary in a list including the 
quilting, and the apple-paring, and similar events of a 
like social character. 

In the past history of this town was developed a social 
feature for which we cannot to-day show an adequate com- 
plement. When Hopkinton was a centre of commercial 
and political influence, there was a corresponding repre- 
sentation of those who tread only the higher paths of social 
popularity and privilege. There were gentlemen and 
ladies of the old school, who not only enjoyed the better 
surroundings afforded by their position and power, but also 
trained their households in a rigid etiquette that placed a 
social value on the words and acts of the individual unenter- 
tained in the ranks of the great commonalty. Inevitable 
later changes have left but comparatively little of that 
higher sociability once so prominent. 

In general, throughout the history of this town, its peo- 
ple have exemplified the traits of character proverbially 
ascribed to New England. Great crimes have been few, 
the population being mostly of that industrious class find- 
ing no place for overt acts against the laws of good society. 
However, a person familiar only with the present state of 
our social life can have but little conception of the peculiar 
features of human character always largely obtaining in a 
pioneer state of civilization. They are only individuals of 
resolute will and overwhelming personal force that can 
subdue a wild region, full of wild beasts and wild men. 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 255 

Such as subdue such a wilderness are both positive and 
stern, both in their morals and immorals. In an intense 
illustration of a vigorous ideal, the first settlers in a new 
country strike heavily right and left, dealing energetic and 
telling blows, whether battling for the right or the wrong. In 
time, the increase of social and refining facilities tends more 
to soften than to obliterate the essential outlines of char- 
acter pertaining to an incipient community, struggling for 
existence in a new country. Hence, in contemplating the 
mental character of a people like ours, assuming the essen- 
tials to have been the same since the beginning of local 
history, it becomes our imaginations to intensify their con- 
ceptions the further back they extend into the past. 

In perusing the earlier records of this township, one sees 
an illustration of this theory in the progressive conduct 
of local legislation frequently required to accomplish various 
ends. Acts were at first passed and rescinded in multi- 
tudinous instances. The incorporation of the township, in 
1765, appears in a large measure to have softened many 
asperities and essentially established the unity and pros- 
perity of the community. 

There was one feature of the earlier moral life of this 
town that requires a more special explanation. All frontier 
life is liable to be involved with the experiences of criminal 
adventures. When Hopkinton occupied a prominent posi- 
tion on the northern New Hampshire frontier, it became the 
facile resort for thieves, smugglers, counterfeiters and other 
outlaws, seeking the rewards of their nefarious traffic. The 
obscure haunts of wood and dell afforded many an oppor- 
tunity of conducting outlawry, which has left too few relia- 
ble data to encourage an exact narration. Horse-thieving, 
smuggling and counterfeiting were conducted by gangs of 
accomplices that operated on a line extending from Canada 
to Massachusetts. Secret meetings were held in out-of-the- 
way places, like the dark glen on the Sibley brook, as it 
approached the meadow on Dolloph's brook, where, on a 
dark, rainy night, a party is said to have discovered a whole 
convention of men, supposed to be consulting for mutual 
criminal advantage. Smuggling was carried on in goods 
surreptitiously conveyed across the Canada border, and 
thence southwardly to places of profitable destination. 
Goods were conveyed in parcels, united in lots, and distrib- 
uted again in packages to suit the convenience of the 



256 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

operators. The partially settled state of the country facili- 
tated these operations so far that, with all the wariness of 
public officials, very little progress was made in arresting 
the crime. The counterfeiters dealt both in spurious notes 
and coin : the former were largely purchased in Canada, 
and the latter to some extent, possibly, manufactured here. 
In the chimney of an old house on the Sibley farm, taken 
down in 1878 by Dr. C. P. Gage, of Concord, was a vault 
or cavity unlike anything customarily found in old chim- 
neys, and supposed to have been designed in furtherance of 
counterfeiting. The fact that a former proprietor was con- 
fined in the state prison in Charlestown, Mass., for dealing- 
in spurious money, added force to the suspicion. Different 
places in this town have been pointed out as possible or 
probable scenes of former criminalities in the line described, 
and which now belong to a shadowy historic past. 

The present subject would be incomplete without a refer- 
ence to intoxicating liquors. At the time of the settlement 
of Hopkinton, the practice of alcoholic stimulation was 
essentially universal. Rum, or some other intoxicant, was 
considered an indispensable household article. Alcoholic 
liquors were used at home and abroad. All social courte- 
sies were confirmed in drinking. The neighbor who congrat- 
ulated on the event of birth, the friend at the fireside, the 
laborer in the field, the customer at the counter, the guest 
at the wedding, the clergyman on his parochial rounds, and 
the mourner at the funeral, were all treated to liquor. On 
gala days and occasions, fabulous quantities of intoxicants 
were consumed. When the first Baptist church in town 
was raised, the brethren provided a barrel of rum and a 
complementary supply of sugar for the refreshment of the 
company. In 1783, Rev. Elijah Fletcher settled a bill at 
the store of Abel Kimball. There were thirty-eight charges 
in the bill, and they were all for small quantities of liquor, 
ranging from a dram to a " point," including glasses and 
" mugs of flip." The evidence of mutual settlement at the 
bottom of the account is as follows : 

January 29, 1783. Reconed and Settled all accounts from the 
beginning of the World to this Day, and nothing Due on either 
Side. Elijah Fletcher. 

Abel Kimball. 

During one town-meeting in the olden time, over sixty 
dollars' worth of liquor was sold in small quantities in one 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 257 

store alone. During the continuance of the general traffic 
in liquor, Ira A. Putney, a teamster, conveyed from the 
lower country into one store in this town, thirty-six hogs- 
heads of rum in six weeks. Possibly a considerable part of 
this quantity was consumed in other places, being distrib- 
uted to traders more distant from the southern centres of 
wholesale traffic. 

Previously to the great temperance reformation, which 
began in this town about sixty years ago, the popular traffic in 
and consumption of alcoholic liquors was carried on without 
special moral consideration, though to some extent under 
legal cognition. 

The earlier records of this town illustrate the frequency 
with which men obtained licenses as <; taverners,'' possessed 
of the legal right to sell ardent spirits. 

The redemption of local society from this extended sway 
of alcohol was however mostly effected by moral suasion. 
Rev. Roger C. Hatch, of the Congregational church, Rev. 
Michael Carlton, of the Calvinist Baptist church, Rev. 
Arthur Caverno, of the Freewill Baptist church, Dr. James 
A. D. W. Gregg, and perhaps others, were prominent local 
apostles of temperance. Through the influence of men of 
high moral stamina, who presented economic, moral, and 
spiritual motives, a great work of popular reform was 
instituted. 

However, a strict regard for historic truth requires us to 
suggest that, in reviewing this great revolution, allowance 
must be made for the fact that among those abandoning the 
use of intoxicants at that time there were many who had 
adhered to the use of liquor, not from any passion for it, but 
simply in fulfilment of a popular custom. The knowledge 
of this fact incurs a charitable consideration for the moder- 
ate success of the modern temperance reformer, who has 
almost wholly to combat causes that lie in the deeper re- 
cesses of the human mental or moral constitution, since 
men who are accustomed to commit acts in the face of pop- 
ular sentiment are more difficult of effective moral approach 
through any avenue. 

It must not be conceived that the great temperance re- 
form of a former generation was effected without specially 
enthusiastic acts on the part of more impulsive individuals. 
In their zeal for a purer life, some persons smashed their 
bottles or decanters, and others went so far as to cut down 
17 



258 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKLNTON. 

their apple orchards, lest their fruit should eventually con- 
tribute to the popular supply of cider. But essentially sim- 
ilar phenomena are witnessed to a greater or less extent in 
all more important social movements. 

Not far from 1840, a " Gun Cotton Society," with its 
head-quarters in Contoocook, was organized for the promo- 
tion of public temperance. Ebenezer Dustin was president, 
and Lorenzo Merrill, secretary. As a stock company, it is- 
sued shares at $1 each, and 5,000 shares were taken. The 
organization included members from Concord, Warner, and 
perhaps other towns. Nicholas Quimby, of Hopkinton, and 
Nathaniel Davis, of Warner, were authorized to prosecute 
violations of liquor laws. The society ceased to exist after 
the suppression of the local liquor trade. 

The following story, often told in Hopkinton, is thus 
written by Alonzo J. Fogg : 

After the meeting-house was rebuilt in 1789, and new pews 
placed in the body of the c&irch, the people of the town met on one 
Saturday afternoon for the purpose of bidding off the pews. The 
pews were built square, like so many sheep-pens, with doors hung 
on hinges. After this, a cap-piece for a finish went round the top 
of the pew, including the door, and was solidly nailed on, thus com- 
pletely fastening up the pews. When a pew was sold, the carpenter 
would saw the cap-piece off at the joints of the door, which gave the 
owner the privilege to walk in and occupy. Some of the more 
thoughtful and dry ones of the meeting, such as Joshua Morse, Esq., 
and others, suggested that no person who bid off a pew should have 
his pew door sawed open until he walked over to Major Isaac Bab- 
son's tavern and paid for the toddy for the company. Under this 
order, things went along " swimmingly" for quite a time, and the 
travelling was brisk between the meeting-house and Major Babson's 
bar. 

At length Aaron Kimball, the tallest man in town, bid off his pew. 
Nearly all the party spoke with one accord : " Now, Kimball, it 's 
your turn to treat." " No," says Mr. Kimball, " I shall pay for no 
toddy to-night, for you are all drunk now. My legs are long, and I 
can get over into my pew some way." 

Isaac Long, then a young man, assisted by a few others, construct- 
ed two sets of rude stairs — one set from the aisle to the top of the 
pew, and the other set down into the pew. When Mr. Kimball ar- 
rived at the meeting-house the following Sabbath morning, the 
church service had begun, and nearly all the hearers were in their 
seats. Mr. Kimball had previously learned the improvements the 
boys had made on his pew, which was located in a conspicuous part 
of the house. Together with his family he walked up the aisle, up 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 259 

the stairs, and down into his pew, to the no small amusement of the 
congregation and a smile from Parson Cram. Aaron Kimball was 
a son of Aaron Kimball, and a brother of Abraham Kimball who 
was captured by the Indians in 1753. Aaron Kimball, Jr., died in 
in 1837 at 90 years of age. 



CHAPTER LXVIII. 

CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 
[Concluded.] 

There is less that needs be said of matrimonial customs 
than of some others. There are some legal features of this 
part of the present subject that are worth noticing. The 
colonial statute of marriage required that an intention of 
matrimony should be attended by a certificate from the 
clerk of the town, or a license from the governor of the 
province, and be published on three several meeting days. 
Subsequently to Independence, in 1791, a law was enacted 
in New Hampshire making it compulsory upon parties de- 
siring to consummate marriage to have their "desire or 
intention published at three several public meeting days, 
or three Sabbath days," in town, or, if there was no clerk 
to publish it, in the next adjoining town. The first publica- 
tions of matrimonial intents were by open " crying " of the 
same by the town-clerk at some interval in the religious 
services of Sunday. Afterwards notice was given by post- 
ing the legal evidence of the intent of parties in the entry, 
or porch, of the meeting-house. 

The posting of marriages was kept up till a late period. 
In the rooms of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, 
at Contoocook, can be seen the last marriage notice posted 
in this town. It reads as follows : 

Mr. Erastus Danforth, and Miss Mary S. Nichols, both of Hop- 
kinton, intend marriage. 

F. P. Knowlton, 

Town Clerk. 
"Were married Aug. 23, 1854. 

In later times, as is well known, the certificate of a town- 
clerk is a sufficient guaranty of the privilege of legal 
marriage. 



260 LIFE AKD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Few customs in this town have changed more then those 
relating to the disposal of the dead. In the earlier days of 
this township, if a person died, the body was enclosed in a, 
winding-sheet, which enwrapped the form in such a man- 
ner as to favor the lapping of certain edges over the face 
of the deceased after the obsequies were performed and 
before the coffin was closed. The coffin was made by the 
local carpenter, who does not appear to have ever kept one 
on hand in case of an emergency, and was fitted with a pane 
of glass over the place allotted to the head of the corpse, 
through which glass the features were to be viewed by the 
mourners and friends. The funeral exercises being finished, 
the detached lid of the coffin was screwed over the paue, 
and the remains were ready for burial. 

The preparations for burial being finished, the coffin was 
placed upon a bier, or barrow, and covered with a pall. 
The pall was a large piece of black cloth about the size of 
a bed-sheet, and served as a symbol of general solemnity 
and mourning. The pall was the property of the town. 
A pall was possibly purchased in this town in 1768. The 
bier was at first borne on the shoulders of a number of men 
selected for the purpose ; in later times, it was carried by 
the hands, as it is now, sometimes, for short distances, on 
the way to the grave. The coffin was buried without any 
box, or other investing receptacle. 

At first, there were sometimes attempts at preserving the 
memories of the dead by rude headstones of unhewn rock, 
in which were cut the initials of the deceased. A number 
of these headstones can be seen in the old cemetery on 
Putney's hill. Only one of these bears a date. It is in 
memory of a child. The whole inscription is fct 1758, J.C.," 
the initials being cut below the date. As soon as the pros- 
perity of the local settlement would allow, wrought grave- 
stones began to be used. These were at first " with shape- 
less sculpture decked," being exceedingly rude. In the old 
graveyard on Putney's hill are the two oldest artificial 
headstones in town. One is a memento of Lieut. Aaron 
Kimball, who died July 30, 1760, aged 50 ; the other, of 
Jeremiah Kimball, who died May 18, 1764, aged 56. These 
headstones are supplemented by corresponding footstones. 

The gravestones of the older time sometimes exhibited a 
prolixity of inscription that was quite noticeable. The most 
remarkable case in kind is seen in the lower village cemetery. 




Seth Webber. 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 261 

On a large slate headstone, finely sculptured on its face, is 
the following elaborate inscription : 

In testimony of sincere 

affection, 

This humble monument was erected by 

E. Darling, 

to inform the passing stranger that beneath rests the head of his 

beloved 

Eliza W. Parker, 

youngest daughter of Lt. E. P., who died of consumption May 11, 

1820, 

JEt. 18. 

Invidious Death ! How dost thou rend asunder 

The bonds of nature and the ties of love. 

In Coelo optamus convenire. 

We know that her Redeemer liveth. 

On the left of this inscription, according to the reader's 
•observation, is the perpendicularly chiselled sentiment, 

Her Eulogy is written on the hearts of her friends ; 
on the right, another, 

Her friends were — ALL, who knew her. 

The first artificial headstones in the town were of slate- 
stone, rudely sculptured, with a death's head and wings. 
Afterwards came the improved slab of slate, on which the 
monument and weeping willow — one or both — were repre- 
sentative graven symbols of affliction. The marble slab 
followed, to be in its turn largely superseded by the more 
imposing stone or stately monument, the latter Being 
usually of marble though sometimes of granite. 

The first tomb constructed in this town was built by 
Roger E. Perkins, and located in the lower village grave- 
yard. It received the bodies of numerous members and 
descendants of the Perkins family, but will receive no 
more. A few years ago it was closed and sealed for all 
time. In front of this tomb on a slab of soft stone, is this 
inscription : 

Roger E. Perkins' 

Tomb, 

Erected July 11, 1821. 

It is an interesting fact that this inscription was cut by 



262 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the late Rev. Edward Ballard, son of the late John Osgood 
Ballard, the renowned select school teacher, and that the 
sculptor used only his pocket knife in the operation. 

The mention of the lower village cemetery suggests an 
interesting fact of local history. This yard, as originally 
laid out, extended convexly two or three rods into the pres- 
ent main street. When the growth of the village demanded 
an increased width of street at this point, the graveyard 
fence was set back the necessary distance, and many bodies 
were disinterred and reburied in other places ; but many 
others were left in their original positions, the mounds be- 
ing smoothed off, and the thoughtless travellers to-day 
tread above them while passing and repassing. In earlier 
chapters of this work, we have recorded acts of the town 
relating to the old village cemetery, illustrating its increase 
in territory from time to time. 

In later years, there is exhibited a tendency to grant be- 
quests for the preservation of the graves of relatives or 
friends. Hopkinton has two of these bequests, — one of 
the late Charles G. Greene, of Boston, Mass., for the grave 
of his mother, and one of the late Robert E. Pecker, of 
Concord, for the grave of John Estabrooks. 

In New England, in the days when Hopkinton was re- 
claimed from the wilderness, the popular definition of all 
that was socially occult and dangerous was embraced in the 
term witchcraft. Subject of Satan, indeed, the witch 
might be, but the accessory was more feared than the prin- 
cipal. Witchcraft was recognized in this vicinity in at 
least four forms. There were the occult influences exer- 
cised over the beasts of the field, the hidden danger that 
lurked about the path of the unwary traveller, the spectre 
that haunted the sleeper by night, and the ghost that hung 
around its favorite stamping-ground. Some details of the 
several forms and methods employed in these several de- 
partments of dreaded mystery will be interesting. 

The live stock of the husbandman was beset by witch- 
craft that either affected the disposition of the animal or 
the product of its economy. A beast would become ill- 
tempered or stubborn through the obsession of the witch. 
Cows, particularly, failed at times to yield their milk, or 
the lacteal product soured in an incredibly short space of 
time, or the cream in the churn refused, after prolonged 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 263 

agitation, to come into butter. Instances of this class oc- 
curred quite frequently, and were of quite recent experi- 
ence. Only a few years ago, a respectable lady, now living, 
related to us a case under personal observation, in which 
the milk of a cow, fresh from the pasture, turned to bonny 
clabber before it could be conveyed from the animal to the 
pantry. 

The mysterious annoyance of the traveller by day was 
more likely to directly affect the beast than the driver. 
Persons in going abroad were sometimes troubled by a sud- 
den refusal of a beast to continue tranquilly on its accus- 
tomed way. Balking and witchcraft became to an extent 
closely related phenomena. A mysterious case in kind 
occurred within the memory of the present generation. A 
respectable lady, who died only a few years ago, related 
that, being on a solitary journey, she was accosted by an 
old woman, who begged for the favor of conveyance. For 
some reason satisfactory to herself, the person accosted de- 
clined to grant the favor, but only to receive the vitupera- 
tions of the strange wayfarer, who avowed the refusing 
person would one day suffer for her stolidness. After a 
while, the berated woman was journeying the same way 
again, when, being near the spot where she encountered 
the offended stranger, her horse balked and could not be 
induced to proceed further, and her journey in that direc- 
tion was ended. The suggestion of witchcraft naturally 
came in as an aid to the solution of the problem. 

The witchcraft of the midnight hour oppressed the inno- 
cent sleeper and made his couch a bed of horrors, wherein 
hags, spectres, and hob-goblins subjected him to a variety 
of tortures if by the exertion of mysterious powers they 
did not even for the time being transmute him into the 
form of some beast of burden, drive him abroad under the 
expanse of the heavens, and train him to severe discipline. 
Persons capable of this kind of obsession were to all appear- 
ances quite fond of turning the objects of their torture into 
horses, riding them abroad with presumable gusto. Witches 
of this class were supposed to have at ordinary times, in 
some special repository, a bridle reserved for such abom- 
inable excursions. This bridle was supposed to be of blue, 
green, or some other fantastic color. Not far from the 
residence of the writer there once lived a woman who was 
reputed to possess a bridle of this kind. 



264 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Ghosts and witches are naturally contemporaneous, 
though, if anything, the former are more inclined to favor- 
ite places of resort, from which they seldom stray. Many 
towns in New England can show the once special haunts 
of ghostly inhabitants. Hopkinton has its former ghostly 
stalking-places. Upon the northern brow of Putney's hill, 
sometimes known as Gould's hill, is a patch of forest long 
recognized as the " Lookout," once the point from which 
observations for possible locations of Indians was taken, 
the smoke of fires revealing their haunts. Spectral appear- 
ances in different forms, manifested both by day and by 
night, were apprehended in this locality. The writer re- 
members a respectable man who believed to his dying day 
that he there saw an apparition in broad daylight There 
was living in this town recently an old and respectable 
gentleman who once averred that passing the Lookout in 
the evening, returning from his day's work, he saw several 
balls of spectral fire appear and stand before him, keep- 
ing in his advance as he maintained his distressful march 
home. 

There appeared to have been but two great witches in 
town. They were " Witch Burbank," whose home was in 
the vicinity of Contoocook village, and " Witch Webber," 
who lived on the southern part of Beech hill. Witch Web- 
ber seems to have been willing to be recognized as a person 
of occult gifts, and her exploits also appeared to have been 
more remarkable in reputed character. We judge so since 
Witch Webber is traditionally claimed to have acknowl- 
edged a journey to Lynn, Mass., where the famous Moll 
Pitcher resided, to attend a convention of weird sisters. 
Witch Webber's statement of a journey to Lynn was con- 
firmed, in the mind of one man at least, in a singular man- 
ner. In sailing through the air on the way to her destina- 
tion, the witch averred that, in passing a barn on Dimond's 
hill, she stubbed her toe on the roof and detached a few 
shingles by the suddenness of the contact. The owner of 
the premises, hearing the report of the exploit, mounted a 
ladder and examined the roof of his barn, finding, in the 
palpable evidence of a few lost shingles, a fact to himself 
satisfactory and indubitable that the witch's words were 
true. 

We have discovered but little evidence that incantations 
for the defeat of witchcraft or the destruction of witches 



CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 265 

were practised to any great extent in this town. We have 
heard a story of a man assaulting, axe in hand, an old 
woman whom he conceived might have obsessed his child, 
and threatening to destroy her if the annoyance did not 
cease. The child was relieved by the operation. There 
is also a story that incantation was once tried on a reputed 
witch, in consequence of an afflicted person, and the result 
affected the suspected witch with great and prolonged 
agony, if it did not destroy her. 

A successful trick was once played on Witch Burbank. 
Two young men, apprentices of David Young, cabinet- 
maker, joiner, etc., were disbelievers in witchcraft. Seeing 
Witch Burbank passing the shop one day, one of the young 
men, remembering that silence must be maintained during 
incantation, motioned his companion to hand him a brad- 
awl, which he took and stuck in the track of the witch. 
She had passed but a few rods and sat down when the awl 
was applied to the earth. Pretty soon Mrs. Young, a per- 
son well remembered for her eccentricities, entered the 
shop in great concern, asking the young men what they 
had done to Witch Burbank to make her stop ; for she 
feared the witch would obsess them all. The apprentices 
denied any action on their part, but, on Mrs. Young's re- 
turn to the house, the awl was withdrawn from the earth, 
and Witch Burbank continued on her way. We presume 
the mental attitude of the young men toward witchcraft 
was afterwards somewhat modified. 

We assert that suj)erstition is the offspring of ignorance. 
We may add that the child is capable of great filial attach- 
ment. With the progress of popular intelligence many 
follies disappear. That there are occult phenomena con- 
stantly attendant upon human life cannot be denied. True 
knowledge, however, allows no absurd superstition, though 
it may entertain a rational mystery, which, though it tran- 
scends the intelligence, does not contradict it. Some of 
the affirmed facts of ancient marvel are too puerile for ex- 
planation. Others are subjects of frequent present eluci- 
dation by teachers of different branches of science. There 
are still others that imply problems not yet solved in any 
uniform conception of the public mind, and which are open 
to such investigation as inquiring minds are able to bring 
to bear upon them. 

It is well known to the scientific world that stagnant 



266 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

water, when drunk by cows, will convey microscopic germs 
of infusorial life into the general circulation of the animal, 
and, in the milk, cause a viscous and frothy condition, of 
mysterious origin to the uninformed. It is another scien- 
tifically apparent fact that dyspepsia, or indigestion, will 
induce a great variety of spectral illusions in the minds of 
sleeping persons, especially if they happen to be of active 
cerebral and nervous temperaments. Alcoholic fermenta- 
tion in cream also thwarts the manufacture of butter. 

The Rev. Elijah Fletcher had trouble with his congrega- 
tion in consequence of apprehensions of witchcraft. Refer- 
ring the subject to the Rev. Timothy Walker, of Concord, 
the plague was removed. The Rev. Mr. Walker told the 
people that " the most they had to fear from witches was 
from talking about them ; that if they would cease talking 
about them, and let them alone, they would soon disap- 
pear." Perhaps no better advice could have served the 
purpose at the time. 



CHAPTER LXIX. 

ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 

The intelligent reader is familiar with the general narra- 
tive of the heroism of Hannah Dustin, who escaped from 
Indian captivity in 1697, bearing her trophy of scalps in 
triumph back to Haverhill, Mass. The scalps were en- 
closed in a section of cloth which Mrs. Dustin's captors had 
torn from her own loom. People interested in the history of 
this town will be pleased to know that Mrs. Dustin's scalp- 
cloth was once owned here by her great-granddaughter, 
whose name appears to have been Elizabeth Eaton Fellows. 
Mrs. Fellows was the wife of David Fellows, once a respec- 
table resident of the Sugar Hill district in Hopkinton. 
How long this historic cloth remained in this town we are 
not able to say, but are assured of the main fact partly by 
Mrs. Elizabeth Kimball Varnum, of Malcomb, la., who is of 
the sixth generation of direct descent from Hannah Dustin. 

In perusing the reminiscences already recited to the pub- 
lic, the reader has noticed an occasional mention of Dolloff's 
brook. This rivulet courses its way from its source near 



ITBMS AND INCIDENTS. 267 

the centre of the town to a point near the north-eastern 

corner, where it empties into the Contoocook river. This 
tributary of the Contoooook receives Its name from one Jo- 
seph Dolloff or Dolpfa — t In* people pronotince it both ways. 

Quite early in the history of Hopkinton, Abraham Kimball, 
first male child born in town, built a mill on DollofPs brook, 
at a point of the present highway running eastward to 
Buswell's Corner, where remains of the ancient structure 
ean be seen to this day. For the accommodation of the 
mill hands, a dug-out was constructed close by the mill's 
location. Being intended for a temporary convenience, the 
dug-OUt was not always occupied. One day there came into 

the neighborhood two strangers —a man and a woman — 
with a few personal effects, which they brought along on 
foot, while they drove before them a cow in which they 
seemed to maintain exclusive proprietorship. They came 
from — aobody knows where — and, in want of shelter, took 
quarters in the aforesaid dug-out, otherwise unused at the 
time, and where the indulgence of the mill-owner allowed 
them to remain for a considerable period, subsequently to 
which a small framed house, standing to this day. sheltered 
them. 

Dolloff and his companion lived in Hopkinton the bal- 
ance of their lives, or at least till death severed their do- 
mestic bond. Dolloff was always poor, being more or less 
an object of charity, and when, at the age of at least 100 
years, he left this world, he took the secret of his persona] 
history with him, excepting to claim that he was a soldier 
under Wolfe, in 1759, and was the first man to mount the 
heights of the enemy at the battle of Quebec. Whether 
this claim was true or not, Dolloff was not a person of 
much individual energy or intelligence. 

It is an interesting fact in this connection that the name 
of Joseph Dolloff appears in the company of ("apt. Nathan- 
iel Folsom, of Exeter, in the regiment of Col. Joseph Blan- 
ohard, of Dunstable, in the expedition of Forts DuQuesne, 
Niagara, and Crown Point, in 1755. The same name also 
appears in Cant. John Whitcomb's company, in the regi- 
ment of Col. Nathaniel Meserve, of Portsmouth, in the ex- 
pedition against Crown Point in 175G. 

In a sparsely populated district, special gatherings are 
always of great general moment. In such a locality, all 



268 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

legitimate causes of meeting enlist the popular attention. 
Be it politics, reform, or religion, the great commonalty is 
prepared to attest its interest. 

This fact of widely distributed popular life is always in- 
tensified in pioneer locations. In such places, events which 
in other spots are only local become territorial. The social 
ball once set rolling, it perambulates the utmost confines 
of adjacent domestic society. 

On the 23d day of November, 1757, an ordination of a 
minister occurred in Hopkinton for the first time. In antic- 
ipation of the event, the hearts of the pioneer populace for 
many miles around were set agog. In expectation of a 
great gathering, the town made ample provisional arrange- 
ments. The sum of £450 was appropriated for the ex- 
penses of the grand occasion. This sum, payable in depre- 
ciated bills of credit, was probably equivalent to only $200. 

The day of the company came duly as appointed and 
expected. Clergy and people, a numerous band, assembled. 
The solemn rights of ecclesiastical ordination were per- 
formed at Putney's fort, near the top of Putney's hill, and 
where also the military was gathered for greater securit} r 
against possible Indian attacks. The ceremony was pro- 
longed till late in the day, and the rays of the setting sun 
shed a calm, subdued radiance over the closing scene. As 
the company began to disperse after the dismissal of ser- 
vice, a young Salisbury man, whose eyes had been amor- 
ously wandering during the day, boldly approached a 
stranger lass and said, — 

"■ Ah, miss, you are the one for me ! " 

The damsel replied, with a manifest dignity peculiar to 
woman, — 

fck What do you mean, sir?" 

"I mean," respectfully explained the rustic swain, "that 
I am a young man in need of a wife, and that you are the 
person I want." 

An introduction followed ; the lady was complacent ; 
marriage occurred that night ; and the next morning the 
bride began the journey to her home in Salisbury. 

In searching for knowledge of the past, unless assisted by 
honest and competent records, one encounters much that is 
visionary and uncertain. In intellectual as in physical ob- 
servation, objects seen in the distance are tinged with illu- 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 269 

sive halos, and the dimly outlined forms and facts assume 
fantastic qualities proportional to the imagination. For 
this reason, the recollection of the "oldest inhabitant " o\' a 
local district is exceedingly unreliable when positive data 
are the special objects 01 historical research. We premise 
thus in order that an approaching narrative may receive a 
qualified attention. 

Among the tales of local Indian perils and distresses, 
afflicting this township in its earliest days, is one told us 
years ago by an aged woman, whose story fell upon our 
ears with that pleasure always enjoyed by youth when lis- 
tening to exciting tales of bygone times. Once in the 
primitive days, she said, two stalwart young men of this 
town wandered, gun in hand, from the vicinity of Putney's 
fort westerly to the plains on the bank of the Contoocook 
river. While wandering there, they discovered that their 
footsteps were closety tracked by Indians, who, perhaps, 
were more intent on capture than on destruction. Not 
knowing the number of their pursuers, and necessarily bent 
on personal safety, the young men beat a hasty retreat in 
the direction of Putney's fort. They soon observed evi- 
dences of rapid pursuit. A number of Indians were scent- 
ing their track. Fortunately both of the young men were 
skilful in the use of the gun, though not uniformly so. One 
of them could load a gun while running; the other was 
equally skilful in whirling suddenly and tiring, hitting close 
to the mark. By conjunction of separate personal skills, 
the two were enabled to keep up a successful running light. 
They both escaped safely, but not till three Indians had 
been made, by their well directed fire, to bite the dust. 
Having secured companions, the escaped men returned and 
picked up the bodies of the slain, which were buried just 
westerly of the present Contoocook road, near or in a lot 
now sometimes known as the tan-house piece, owned by 
True J. Putney. 

Substantial record confirms a number of Indian encoun- 
ters in this vicinity, but our present narration is not one of 
them. We give the old lady's narrative — which may be 
true — for the biased contemplation of our readers. 

When, in 1750, the proprietors of this township renewed 
their grant, procuring a title from the Lord Proprietors of 
John Tufton Mason, they became bound to a stipulation 



270 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

that all suitable pine trees should be reserved for the use 
of his majesty's navy. The local supply of pine trees of 
primitive gigantic size furnished one representative that 
has inspired an interesting chapter in the historic roll of 
the town. The particulars of the story, with a few later 
data necessarily added, are included in the following sketch, 
written by a former professional gentleman of Hopkinton, 
and originally published in the Worcester (Mass.) Palla- 
dium : 

Some time previous to the Revolution, a gentleman by the name 
of Chamberlain, purporting to be an agent for the king of Great 
Britain) came into this section of the country in pursuit of trees 
suitable for masts for the royal navy. He found one in the west- 
erly part of Concord, anil another in Hopkinton, of enormous size. 
The one in Hopkinton was a white pine. It grew on the farm 
lately owned by Mr. Isaiah Webber, about one mile north of the 
East village. The king's agent employed Capt. Jonathan Chase, 
the grandfather of the late Bishop Chase, one of the first settlers in 
the place, with several other persons, to cut the tree and draw it to 
Se w oil's falls, in the Merrimack river, a distance of eight or ten 
miles. When the tree was fallen, it was cut off one hundred and 
ten feet in length, and then measured three feet in diameter at the 
top. The exact dimensions of the stump I cannot ascertain, but it 
is certain that Dr. John Webber, father of Samuel Webber, the 
president of Harvard college, who lived near by, drove a yoke of 
large oxen upon the stump and turned them about upon it with 
ease. Fifty-five yoke of oxen were employed to draw the mast to 
the river, and a road was cut the whole distance through the forest. 
It is said often to have happened, while passing over the rough 
country, that several yoke of oxen were suspended by their necks 
from the ground by the force of the draught of those in front of 
them. In passing down a steep hill in the west parish of Concord, 
the team was divided, and a portion of it put in the rear ; but the 
hold-hack chains broke, and the immense burden slid forward with 
fearful velocity, crushing off the horns of the oxen upon the tongue, 
and stopping finally against the trunk of a large tree. The place 
to this day goes by the name of " tail-down hill." 

The mast was floated down the Merrimack at high water ; but 
in passing over Amoskeag falls, about twenty miles below the place 
where it was put in the river, it broke in the middle. The butt 
end floated out of the current into a small cove in Andover, in Mas- 
sachusetts, where it remained until it decayed. It was often re- 
sorted to as a curiosity, and, tradition says, it was so large that no 
man could be found who could leap upon it from the ground. 

When the mast broke, the king's agent, Chamberlain, was sitting 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 271 

upon his horse on the hank of the river : he exclaimed, " I am 
ruined ! " and, putting spurs to his horse, he rode off, leaving his 
hills unpaid, and was never seen or heard of afterwards. 

Wild, predaceous animals constitute a prevailing annoy- 
ance of pioneer communities. In the earliest civilized 
times in this town, the aggression and dread of wild beasts 
caused a considerable part of the exciting experiences of 
those old days. Unfortunately for the later historian, most 
of the special events arising from the earlier proximity of 
wild and savage animals are lost to both record and mem- 
ory. In the earliest times in llopkinton, wolves were par- 
ticular pests, so much so that bounties were offered for 
them. 

About two miles from Hopkinton village, on the Concord 
road, is a spot now overflowed by Whittier mill-pond. 
This spot has been known as Wolf meadow from time 
immemorial, the name resulting from the frequency with 
which wolves were once observed in this vicinity. 

The story we are about to relate describes how a wolf 
was once captured in this town, if the tradition is correct. 
Domestic animals usually became prey to wolves, but in 
the related instance a wolf became the prey of an ox. In 
an ancient Hopkinton barn, a window was carelessly left 
open one night, during which a wolf entered by the open 
aperture. It seems that a stubborn ox occupied the enclos- 
ure communicating with the outer world by the window, and 
when his wolfship attempted to depart by the way he came, 
his oxship stationed himself before the window and vigor- 
ously disputed the passage. The opposition of the ox was 
incorrigible. The wolf could not get out at the window. 
In the morning, he was found confronted by the ox, and 
was dispatched by the hand of an outraged husbandman. 

The reader will remember that in a previous chapter, 
containing the enumeration of the inhabitants of Hopkin- 
ton at the outbreak of the Revolution, the negroes and 
slaves for life were numbered at two. There were never 
but two slaves in Hopkinton, we believe. Both of these 
were probably brought into this town by their owners, who 
emigrated to Hopkinton from other localities. 

Joseph Barnard, who was a native of Amesbury, Mass., 
and came to Hopkinton about the year 1766, was the owner 
of a slave, who answered to the name of Seeko, and who 



272 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

was a man-servant. Seeko was a man of considerable ca- 
pability at all kinds of work required of the manual laborer 
of his day. Upon the assumption of freedom, on the 
event of the Revolution, Seeko returned to Massachusetts, 
where he obtained a wife and had a domestic settlement of 
some sort as his own. Some time subsequently to this 
change in Seeko's affairs, Mr. Barnard took a journey on 
horseback to the vicinity of his native town of Amesbury, 
Mass., where he was surprised by being approached and 
accosted by his old servant, Seeko. The master and slave 
renewed their expressions of cordial friendship, and made 
mutual inquiries of personal welfare. Seeko was ardently 
desirous of returning to his old home with Mr. Barnard, 
and earnestly besought to be taken back to Hopkinton, but 
his appeal was resisted, Mr. Barnard not feeling at liberty 
to comply with Seeko's request. We never heard that Mr. 
Barnard and Seeko ever met again. 

The other of the two slaves in Hopkinton was a man- 
servant of the name of Caesar, who was owned by Thomas 
Webber. By popular consent, this slave assumed the cog- 
nomen of his master, and was known as Caesar Webber. 
Of this slave we have learned but little. He remained in 
Hopkinton till the end of his life, if we are rightly informed. 
Caesar Webber joined the Congregational church between 
the years of 1789 and 1791. There is a story that, after 
Caesar had become a convert to religion, his minister asked 
him how his renewed life appeared in comparison with his 
past career in sin. "Well," said Caesar, "I never was very 
bad, and I will leave it to Deacon Kimball to say if I was." 

A doubt has been expressed that Caesar Webber was 
actually a slave, having been possibly only a free attachS 
of the Webber family ; but as we have no conclusive evi- 
dence in the case, we allow the original assumption to re- 
main. 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 273 

CHAPTER LXX. 

ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 

[Continued.] 

William Peters is said to have been the first white man 
located in the neighborhood of Dimond's hill. He at first 
lived in a lonely camp near the residence of Gilman C. 
Morgan. He afterwards built a log house on the south 
side of the main road to Concord, nearly or quite opposite 
the present house of Walter F. Hoyt. At this place, 
Joshua Morse was Peters's nearest neighbor. 

When Peters built his log house, he left a projecting end 
of a bottom log that frequently offered an obstruction to 
movements about the place. Determining to remove the 
obstruction, he built a fire and burned it off. Joshua Morse 
saw the operation, and crossed over to remonstrate with 
neighbor Peters for such carelessness in exposing his whole 
house to the danger of fire. " You might have cut off the 
end of the log with an axe," he suggested. Peters re- 
sponded : " Oh ! there 's no danger ! I have kept watch of 
the fire ; besides, there 's an advantage of the burning. A 
little while ago the mosquitoes were very thick here. Now 
the air is free of them." This was killing two birds with 
one stone. 

William Peters was a true representative of the crude 
pioneer. He was rough, strong, and inured to extreme 
simplicity of life. He became the first deacon of the Con- 
gregational church in Hopkinton. 

Previously to the Revolution, Abraham Brown, a Quaker, 
settled on Putney's hill, on the spot now occupied by Guy 
Montgomery. A Quaker is supposed to be religiously op- 
posed to war, and unwilling in any case to lend a hand in 
belligerent operations. Quaker Brown offered no apparent 
exception to the general supposition. 

On the outbreak of the conflict between the American 
colonies and Great Britain, public excitement was wrought 
up to a high pitch. It is always so when war breaks out, 
as is known to those who remember the outbreak of the 
Civil War in 1861. Soon after the battle of Bunker Hill, 
a courier rode upon horseback into Hopkinton village, hav- 
ing a message from the colonial authorities to arouse men 
18 



274 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

to arms, and to a march to Massachusetts, to drive the 
British out of Boston. Arrived here, the courier desired 
to forward a messenger swiftly to Warner and Sutton, and 
asked for the smartest man and the fleetest horse in this 
town. He was told that a young man by the name of 
Matthew Stanley was the fittest person for such a service, 
and that Quaker Brown had the fleetest mare. Stanley 
readily consented to undertake the errand, but was told 
that Quaker Brown would not allow his beast to be used 
for any such service. Stanley avowed that he would have 
the mare nevertheless. Approaching Quaker Brown, Stan- 
ley asked for the mare, but was told, — "Thou knowest, 
Friend Stanley, that I am a man of peace, and cannot allow 
my mare to be used for any such purpose as you propose." 
But Stanley said, — "By the powers, I will have her." 
Quaker Brown replied, — "Very well ; since thou wilt have 
her, she is in yonder pasture, and the saddle and bridle 
hang in the mill-house." 

Stanley took the mare and outfit, performed his errand, 
returned, replaced the mare, saddle, and bridle, and received 
no further remonstrance from the man of peace. 

The mention of the Revolution and the public enthusi- 
asm of the early colonists calls up the incident of William 
Stocker. Stocker was a Hopkinton man, who was deter- 
mined to enter the colonial army and resist the encroach- 
ments of the enemy. Seeking an opportunity to enlist, he 
was pronounced to be of too short a stature for military 
service. Resolute in his purpose, Stocker was determined 
not to be debarred from the ranks by his stature. Placed 
in a line of recruits for military inspection, he managed to 
stand upon a hillock of earth, in the hope of deceiving the 
inspecting official. The ruse did n't succeed in deceiving 
the official, but it secured Stocker his place in the ranks. 
The exhibition of so much patriotic zeal caused a " suspen- 
sion of the rules " in his behalf, and he went forth a fully 
empowered soldier of the American army. 

A spirit of rivalry is inherent in the human constitution. 
In every age, society has observed superior demonstrations 
of personal force or skill with both admiration and praise. 
Every community has its athletes who boast their mere 
physical prowess.' The spirit of physical rivalry early man- 




Sup't. John C. Ray. 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 275 

ifested itself in Hopkinton. There is a story told of a foot- 
race between an Indian and David Story, a Hopkinton 
white man. The contest grew out of a dispute between a 
group of Indians and a circle of whites. Each party selected 
its best man. The race was duly contested, and Story 
proved himself the winner. This contest is said to have 
taken place in very early times in Hopkinton village. 

On the 4th of July, 1826, a memorable race was run by 
Hamlet Perkins, of Hopkinton, and Kilburn Hoyt, of Dun- 
barton. This contest was undertaken upon peculiar con- 
ditions. The distance was between Dr. Stark's and the 
hay-scales, the same being now between Charles J. Conner's 
and the guide-post. Hoyt, who was of gigantic strength 
as well as fleetness, was to carry Capt. Samuel Burbank, of 
Hopkinton, who weighed no less than 225 pounds, upon 
his shoulders, and have a start of one half the distance. 
The preliminaries having been duly arranged, the parties 
started. Hoyt virtually won, as Perkins, seeing the con- 
test was against him, gave up the unfinished race. 

About the year 1826 or 1827, Boutwell Towne, of Hop- 
kinton, ran a race against a horse. The course was from a 
point a mile out on the South road to the centre of the vil- 
lage. Towne was given a start of half a mile, but was 
beaten. 

In the earlier days of New England, as is well known to 
many of our readers, petty crimes and misdemeanors were 
frequently punished by corporal inflictions. Punishment 
by the stocks or by whipping was so common as to demand 
the necessary means and appliances in every judicial cir- 
cuit. When Hopkinton became an acknowledged seat of 
justice, a stocks was set up. A whipping-post seems to 
have been a later local institution. The stocks confined 
the ankles of the culprit, but in using it the hands were 
confined by manacles, or hand-cuffs, the person sitting. 

The last case of corporal punishment inflicted judicially 
in this town occurred about the year 1818, when Capt. Ben- 
jamin Pierce, of Hillsborough, punished a culprit at the 
whipping-post. We do not care to enter into the particu- 
ulars of the exhibition of this relic of barbarism. 

About 1816 or 1817, a man who had abused his wife was 
publicly whipped by night in the streets of Hopkinton vil- 
lage, by a band of disguised women. 



276 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Our present story relates to a big rattlesnake that was 
killed in the Sturnpfield district about the year 1811 or 
1812. At that time, Timothy Flanders lived in a house 
that has since been demolished, and which stood in the 
field somewhat back from the house now occupied by John 
F. Currier. It was in the haying time, when the men were 
in the fields, that Mrs. Flanders noticed an outcry among 
the hens that were running at large about the door. She 
looked out for the cause of the disturbance, and observed 
a large rattlesnake near the house and apparently making 
his way for the front door. By a hasty movement, she 
seized a large iron bar and threw it on the snake, which 
was held fast by the weight of the iron, and expressed his 
resentment by rattling so loudly as to be heard twenty or 
thirty rods. Mrs. Flanders then called the men from the 
hay-field, and the snake was dispatched. The serpent was 
four feet or more in length, about three inches in diameter, 
and had fourteen rattles. Rattlesnakes were occasionally 
seen in this town till quite later times. 

The subject of rattlesnakes reminds us of a curious case 
in the Sturnpfield district. About seventy or eighty years 
ago, there was a country tavern kept in this district by 
Capt. Parker Pearson. For a longer or shorter time, Capt. 
Pearson had in his employ a young man by the name of 
Moody Swallow, and who came from the vicinity of Duns- 
table, Mass. During his stay in Sturnpfield, Swallow an- 
nounced that, in passing a cluster of bushes by the road- 
side, he encountered a rattlesnake, which bit him upon the 
leg, and in proof of the injury showed a wound upon the 
limb. Sooner or later, Swallow exhibited at intervals the 
signs of a peculiar and nrysterious malady. When the 
paroxysm occurred, people would say, — " Swallow is hav- 
ing one of his spells ; his snake is after him." Upon the 
occurrence of the fit, Swallow would lie down and crawl, 
while his forehead would corrugate and his eyes flash. In 
the Sturnpfield district was an old style building, with a 
roof that had one slope that reached to the ground. Swal- 
low would sometimes wriggle up on one side of this roof 
and glide down the other, or traverse it in various direc- 
tions, as his apparent serpentine fancy might dictate. 

We do not know how long this apparent malady lasted. 
Swallow in the course of time left Hopkinton, and was 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 277 

eventually traced to Canada, but, according to the latest 
information, was afterwards lost to his friends and family. 

The exploits of the old militia days were often attended 
by a measure of hilariousness. Sometimes the militia met 
to train voluntarily, and then doubtless enjoyed an unusual 
freedom in pleasantries. About the year 1820, the Hop- 
kinton Light Infantry, Capt. Moses Colby, and the Hopkin- 
ton Rifles, Capt. Jeremiah Silver, met to train on the Fourth 
of July. By a collusion not known to many, a number of 
men, younger and older, repaired to the woods north of the 
village, where the training was to be, and attired them- 
selves as Indians, painting their bodies with vermilion. 
Then they organized into two bands, the younger com- 
manded by Samuel R. Adams, and the older by Daniel 
Flanders. In the process of events, the militia marched 
to the outskirts of the village, discovered, attacked, and 
captured the aborigines, and marched them in captivity to 
the village main street, where a sham-fight between the 
militia and Indians occurred with such realistic effects that 
certain ladies in beholding it fainted. It was an occasion 
long- to be remembered. However, some of the " Indians " 
paid for their sport. The vermilion poisoned their skins 
severely. 

We are reminded of an alleged event which took place 
very many years ago, and which gave abundant attes- 
tation of the courage of a woman. The time was spring. 
The day was Sunday. The woman was Mrs. John O. 
Emerson. 

Spring thaws often suddenly break up the ice in rivers, 
and send it in fragments on a hasty march southward. The 
day we have in mind was one of the warmer days of the 
early season. In the morning, a party of perhaps a dozen 
persons, Mrs. Emerson among the rest, crossed the frozen 
river from the north side, to attend meeting at the old West 
meeting-house. As the day marched on to its meridian, 
the warmth increased, the snows melted, the waters swelled, 
the ice broke, and the surface of the river became strewn 
with the floating debris of the natural bridge of the morn- 
ing. Returning from church, the aforesaid party approached 
the river to find a most forbidding barrier to their direct 
progress homeward. They halted for reflection. The near- 



278 LIFE AKD TIMES LN HOPKINTOST. 

est bridge was three miles down the river. To reach home 
that way required at least six miles of travel. The party- 
was on foot, yet the dominant opinion — the natural one — 
admitted no alternative. Mrs. Emerson, however, de- 
murred in view of the popular decision. She could not 
think of wasting so much energy in a needless tramp. She 
would recross the river on the floating ice. Not to be de- 
terred from her resolution, she sprang upon an icy float. 
Alert, she bounded to a second. A third was gained by a 
dexterous leap. In this manuer she gained the opposite 
shore. Her friends stood still and watched her progress. 
Seeing her safely over, they made a practical adoption of 
the sentiment that the farther way around is the nearer 
way home, and recrossed the stream by the bridge below. 

In the earlier days, the lower village Baptists used to 
immerse candidates in the waters of the brook that runs 
from Smith's pond northerly, through the village, on its 
way to become a tributary of Dolloff's brook. The spot 
selected for public baptisms was in a glen just north of the 
village, on land now owned by J. Edward Fellows. The 
location, at the time of which we speak, was very romantic 
and beautiful. The glen was shaded by grand old forest 
trees. The brook was reached only by a foot-path winding 
down a precipitous cliff. In the bosom of the brook was a 
pool prepared for baptismal purposes, its bottom being 
paved with white pebbles. On a baptismal occasion, the 
people of the congregations were accustomed to file down 
the zigzag path, singing appropriate hymns ; the bottom of 
the glen reached, the ceremony of baptism was performed 
with the usual solemnities. The place, the occasion, and 
the formalities conspired to impress the imagination in a 
forcible manner. 

On a certain occasion of baptism at this romantic spot, 
the rite was administered to a number of } r oung ladies, 
who, for the occasion, were arrayed in robes of symbolic 
white. One of these persons was popularly recognized as 
the fairest of the fair, and her beauty was not diminished 
by her snowy dress and luxuriant, loose flowing hair. That 
day a young officer of the United States army arrived in 
town, and finding the tide of local population turned 
toward the scene of public baptism, wended his way thither, 
taking a position of observation on the summit of the cliff 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 279 

overlooking the glen. Sitting there, he saw the lovely 
maid, the fairest of the fair, plunged beneath the sparkling 
wave of the pellucid stream. The sight of so much beauty 
quickened an emotion coetaneous with human nature, and 
made him feel a vacancy in his being that longed for oc- 
cupancy by the adorable being before him. Imperative 
circumstances, however, prevented the immediate consum- 
mation of desired plans, and, discharging his personal 
errand, the young son of Mars returned from whence he 
came. 

The fires of love, once kindled into vigorous flame, are 
not readily subdued. The young military officer, feeling 
the yearnings of his heart constant toward the new-found 
attraction, embraced the opportunity of visiting these local 
scenes again. Years, however, had passed away since his 
first visit, but the time of absence had not obliterated the 
traces of personal regard that were once wrought in his 
bosom. As he came and saw once, he determined to come 
and see again, possibly to conquer. He sought and found 
these streets again, and asked for the domicile of the fair 
one that had made his spirit glow with an intenser fire. He 
was pointed to a village house. He approached and knocked 
at the door. A plain, buxom woman responded. She was 
clad in a country housewife dress, and her sleeves were 
rolled upon her arms. A peculiar odor filled the hall, and 
if one had gone there he would have heard a peculiar siz- 
zling in the kitchen. The truth must be told. The fair 
maid of days agone stood before the martial visitor. She 
had become plain and stout ; she was the wife of the village 
butcher; her husband had just killed a number of hogs, and 
a grand trial of lard was in progress : the good wife was 
mistress of the operation. Sic transit gloria amoris ! 



280 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

CHAPTER LXXI. 

ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 

[Continued.] 

The record of great droughts in Hopkinton is very mea- 
gre. There have been at least three great droughts in this 
town. One was in very early times, the year 1775, when 
all the cattle of the township were collected upon the banks 
of the Contoocook river, where now is the large interval 
of Mrs. C. L. George, and kept till the dryness abated. Jo- 
seph Putney, Jr., once told us that he remembered a year 
so dry that there was not a green blade of grass from the 
northern to the southern extremity of the ridge of land 
now including Putney's and Gould's hills. That year — 
which was possibly 1840 — trees were lopped in the pastures 
to supply leaves for food for the stock. The year 1882 was 
very dry, but the reader needs no description of it. 

The year 1780 witnessed a peculiar and memorable scene 
on the 19th of May, on which the " dark day " occurred. 
The previous months of winter had been marked by pecu- 
liar climatic phenomena. The weather was very cold ; the 
snow covered the ground from the middle of November to 
the middle of April ; there were brilliant displays of the 
aurora borealis ; there were numerous large spots upon the 
sun. Previously to the 19th of May, a sulphurous odor is 
said to have been observed in the atmosphere. However, 
the main climatic facts mentioned probably applied to the 
whole northern territory of the United States. The follow- 
ing description of the dark day was given by the Massachu- 
setts Spy, a paper of the period involved : 

The morning of the day was overcast with clouds, and rainy ; 
before 9 o'clock the rain in a great measure ceased, the clouds ap- 
peared more agitated, and the air began to darken. For several 
hours in the middle of the day the obscurity was so great that those 
who had good eye-sight could scarcely see to read common print ; 
the birds and fowls in many places retired to their roosts as though 
it had been actually night, and people were obliged to light candles 
to dine by. It was the judgment of many that at 12 o'clock (the 
time of the greatest obscurity) the daylight was not greater, if so 
great, as that of bright moonlight, which by calculation has been 
found to be 90,000 less than that of a clear, sunshiny day ; during 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 281 

the whole time a sickly, melancholy gloom overcast the face of nat- 
ure. Nor was the darkness of night less uncommon and terrifying 
than that of the day ; notwithstanding there was almost a full 
moon, no object was discernible, but by the help of some artificial 
light, which, when seen from the neighboring houses, and other 
places at a distance, appeared through a kind of Egyptian darkness 
which seemed almost impervious to the rays. 

There were no incidents of the dark day in Hopkinton 
that were specially noticeable, or we have never heard of 
them. Many recollections of that day were ever after pre- 
served by those living at the time. Without entering into 
a special comparison of the phenomena, we apprehend that 
the cause of the darkness of May 19, 1780, and that of Sep- 
tember 6, 1881, were substantially identical. 

The 19th of January, 1810, was made memorable in local 
history on account of the severity of the weather. " Cold 
Friday " incurred an indescribable amount of apprehension 
and suffering, not merely on account of the low tempera- 
ture of the air, but by reason of the high wind and the in- 
different means of self-protection then possessed. The cold- 
ness itself was not so intense as New Hampshire people are 
frequently called upon to endure. The mercury on " Cold 
Friday " did not probably reach more than twenty degrees 
below zero. 

The year 1826 was remarkable for being the great grass- 
hopper year. During its summer season, the grasshoppers 
swarmed in innumerable hosts, and were commensurably 
destructive. Almost all crops were partially or entirely 
ruined. In many cases, the succulent portions of vegetable 
productions were consumed, leaving only the woody por- 
tions. The abundance of grasshoppers made their forage 
scanty, and they preyed upon everything upon which they 
could make an impression. A wooden tool, or portion 
thereof, if left in the field, would be gnawed upon the sur- 
face till it became rough, as if it had been rasped. In the 
bay season of that year, Elder Joseph Putney lost a leath- 
ern pouch, in which he carried silver money, while at work 
in the field. The next autumn his son, Joseph, Jr., while 
in the same field, saw something glitter in the grass under 
a tree. Examination revealed the lost money pouch, which 
had been eaten full of holes by the grasshoppers, thus en- 
abling the silver coin to be seen through them. In such a 
season, people had no adequate remedy for the pest. Fields 



282 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

were sometimes measurably delivered of grasshoppers by 
stretching a rope on the windward side of it, and then car- 
rying it across while it was allowed to flap up and down on 
the way. By this operation, the grasshoppers were stirred 
up and urged along with the wind. In a related instance, 
the grasshoppers of one field were thus swept off into the 
river, where they were largely and rapidly seized and de- 
voured by the fish. The surface of the water was much 
agitated by the active movements of these fish. In the fall 
of that year, multitudes of grasshoppers perished in the 
autumn storms. 

The year 1826 was eventful for being the year of the 
August freshet. The latter part of the summer of that 
year was unusually quiet, but the climax of wateriness was 
the result of a shower that occurred on the afternoon of 
August 28. That day, Joseph Putney, Jr., left Hopkinton 
for Sutton with an ox-team, intending to return the next 
day with a load. On his way to Sutton, he was overtaken 
by the shower. Seeking shelter under a roof, the water 
poured from the building to the earth in a perfect sheet,, 
such as is seen when a dam overflows. The next morning, 
his return with the team was impossible. Roads were gul- 
lied ; bridges and causeys were gone. During the night of 
the 28th, the Contoocook river overflowed its banks, and 
all the low lands along its course were covered with water. 
Ungathered crops upon interval lands were either dam- 
aged or destroyed. Floating objects were carried down 
stream in large numbers. Prominent in the waste of water 
was a multitude of golden pumpkins. 

We have record of at least five highest freshets upon the 
Contoocook river. The first was in 1775 ; the second in 
August, 1826 ; the third in April, 1852 ; the fourth in 
April, 1862 ; the fifth in October, 1869. 

In the year 1824, General Lafayette, whose renowned 
services to the American cause in the days of the Revolu- 
tion made his name and fame specially dear to the people 
of this country, came to these shores on a visit to the scenes 
and people of his early contests and regards. Upon his 
landing at New York city, in August, he was received with 
a great ovation, and his progress through and about the 
country was marked by observances in his honor, till he 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 283 

left for Europe, in September, 1825. During his American 
travels, the general passed through Hopkinton, and held a 
public reception in the street, under or near the two largest 
elms, in front of the house now occupied by E. Eugene 
Dunbar and Mrs. Helen B. Goodspeed. Here he was met 
by a large assemblage of all classes of citizens. At that 
time, Miss Betsey P. Eaton, afterwards Mrs. Brockway, 
was teaching a school in the village. In a dictionary in use 
in her school she made the following memorandum : 

June 22, 1825. Keeping school in this village this summer, and 
Esquire Chase called at the door, saying Lafayette was here, and 
wished me to dismiss the school, that we might all have the pleas- 
ure of shaking hands with so distinguished a personage. 

His aids were Ignatius Sargent and Peter C. Brooks, citizens of 
Boston. 

Very few particulars of this reception have been pre- 
served. 

To advance at first into the domain of indisputable nar- 
rative, we mention an event that in its time moved the 
heart of local society to the profoundest depths. The nat- 
ural sentiment of mystery and awe that is associated with 
death and the grave is only intensified by acts of grave- 
yard desecration. This fact, if in any degree different, 
could only be more real in earlier times. The case under 
narration is, we believe, the only one of its kind ever hap- 
pening within the limits of this township. 

In the year 1831, Joseph Philbrick died, and was buried 
in the then new graveyard in the village of Contoocook. 
A few days after, his widow followed him in death, express- 
ing tenderness of conjugal affection in her last hours, and 
wishing that, in the grave, her coffin might be allowed to 
rest in actual contact, side by side, with that of her hus- 
band. In the proposed fulfilment of this dying wish, the 
new grave was dug unusually close to the one enclosing 
Mr. Philbrick's body so recently. Such close proximity 
revealed the unexpected fact that a quantity of rubbish 
was contained in Mr. Philbrick's grave, and which could 
not have beeu put there at the time of his burial. Suspicion 
was aroused, investigation instituted, and discovery made 
that the grave had been robbed. Mr. Philbrick's body was 
missing. 

Great excitement, profound suspicion, and diligent search 



284 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

followed upon this shocking discovery. All this heated 
activity, however, failed of any practical result. The body 
was not found through any public detective skill. Some 
time after the event of the discovery of the empty coffin, 
the lost body was discovered in a swampy place in the 
southern part of the town, by a party engaged in building 
a fence, which fact only tends to support the proposition that 
the act of desecration was performed by persons living not 
far away. The body was reburied in its original spot. 

In the year 1832, Benjamin Rowell shot Calvin Holmes 
by a careless accident. Rowell was a lunatic, and was 
apprehended and confined in jail, but was never punished 
as a responsible culprit, although he was kept under legal 
confinement or surveillance till the erection of the New 
Hampshire state asylum for the insane, in 1843, when he 
became an inmate of that institution, remaining till his 
death, a number of years ago. 

While in jail in this town, being considered worthy of so 
much trust, Rowell was sometimes allowed the " freedom 
of the yard." There being no adequate inclosure about 
the premises of the county prison, such freedom as was 
sometimes allowed to trusted prisoners implied the privilege 
of strolling up and down a certain distance of highway. 
While enjoying the described privilege, Rowell, on one 
occasion, ventured to abuse the confidence imposed in him 
so far as to relieve the irksomeness of constraint by a little 
amusement at the expense of legal authority. Indulging 
an emphatic pretence of running away, he suddenty disap- 
peared from sight, to be followed in rapid pursuit by the 
jailer and a posse of citizens, all eager to restore to con- 
finement the absconding culprit. As the whole company 
was tearing along the highway in the direction Rowell had 
apparently taken for flight, the pursuers were suddenly 
halted and vexed by the appearance of the prisoner far in 
the rear, shouting, " Here he is ! Why do n't you catch 
him ? " Turning upon his heel, Rowell ran in the reverse 
direction, and the excited posse rushed pell-mell after him, 
but only to be tricked the same as before. 

"Ben," said the jailer, "if you don't stop, I'll shoot 
you." 

" Guess you '11 have to go home first and get your gun," 
quietly replied Ben. 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 285 

A gun was brought, and Ben walked quietly back to his 
old head-quarters. 

Benjamin Rowell represented a family of unusually keen 
intelligence. In his earlier years, he served an apprentice- 
ship with a carpenter. Having completed his service, he 
was sent into the woods to select timber and construct a 
frame. Being ambitious, anxious, and nervous, the burden 
of his responsibility weighed upon him and broke his rea- 
son. In justice to the unfortunate man, it is gratifying to 
be able to say that the frame, in the construction of which 
he lost his reason, proved to be a perfect one. 

During Rowell's stay at the state asylum, as the story 
goes, he rescued from the asylum pond two boys that would 
otherwise have drowned. Taking them to the authorities 
of the place, he said, " Now that I have killed only one, 
but saved two, you ought to let me go." The appeal was 
in vain. 

In the year 1833, Roger E. Perkins finished the some- 
what massive wall that enclosed the front yard of his house,, 
which in later times was known as the Foss house, burned 
in 1882. Upon the completion of the structure a great 
military fete was held. The day was in June. 

At the time of which we speak, Mr. Perkins had a son, 
Hamilton E., the late Judge Perkins, of Concord, in the 
university at Norwich, Vt., where was also Samuel G., son 
of Baruch Chase, of this town. Through the influence of 
one or both of these young men, the Norwich Cadets, Capt. 
Partridge, were induced to come to Hopkinton and attend 
the dedication of the wall. Young Perkins and Chase were 
both cadets. When the cadets arrived at Hopkinton, they 
were received by the Hopkinton Rifles, Capt. Thomas Bai- 
ley, and escorted to Mr. Perkins's house on the South road, 
where a grand dinner was served upon the wall. The cadets 
were in good spirits upon this occasion, and some of them 
gave evidence of their good nature by tossing pennies 
among the crowd of small boys and observing the lads 
scamper and struggle for the prizes. During the stay of 
the cadets, they lodged in the town hall, where a grand 
ball was given in their honor, Mr. Perkins paying the 
expenses. 

The story is told that on the day of the dedication of the 
wall, both the visiting and the resident companies per- 



286 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

formed military drill in the village, and the evolutions and 
tactics of the Hopkinton Rifles were so superior to those of 
the other company that they gained the chief admiration of 
the observers, and, in consequence of this, certain leading 
citizens of Hopkinton approached Capt. Bailey and re- 
quested him to refrain from further military exercise for 
the sake of courtesy to the visiting company. 

In a previous chapter we have given some account of the 
local branch of the Grand Army of the Republic. It may 
be well to notice here a service that occurred in to\^n be- 
fore the permanent organization of a Grand Army post. 
The year was 1880. 

Public measures in anticipation of memorial service 
were taken by the citizens in general, and the different 
civil societies and organizations were induced to contribute 
their assistance. On Memorial Day, a gathering was held 
in the morning at the town-house. After an introductory 
service by Revs. A. J. Hopkins and C. A. Stone, a proces- 
sion was formed, and marched through the principal streets 
of the village under the marshalship of Capt. G. A. Curtice, 
of Contoocook, in the following order : 

First — Hopkinton Cornet Band, 24 men ; J. Fred Gage, leader ; 
Melvin Colby, director ; C. C Lord, drum-major. 

Second — Contoocook Syphon Fire Company, No. 1, 35 men; 
E. E. Currier, captain ; James M. Putnam, foreman ; Elbridge G. 
Corliss, assistant foreman. 

Third — Veterans, 40 men ; G. A. Curtice, captain ; E. A. Bout- 
well and William Montgomery, lieutenants ; William Patterson, 
orderly sergeant ; A. J. Kelley, color sergeant. 

Fourth — County and town officers, citizens, and school children ; 
Parker M. Flanders, marshal. 

Fifth — Union Grange, 80 members; Charles Gould, master; 
E. B. Dunbar, marshal. 

Sixth — Odd Fellows, 53 men ; James M. Putnam, noble grand ; 
Stephen E. Morrill, vice grand; Henry Dustin, warden; Warren 
S. Rand, conductor; William H. Hardy, treasurer; Thomas B. 
Richardson, secretary; past grands, Dr. G. H. Blaisdell, C. A. 
Stevens ; chaplain, John F. Jones. 

Seventh — Good Templars, 75 members; H. M. Kimball, mar- 
shal. 

The march having been concluded, the graves of the 
soldiers of the war of 1861, as well as those of the wars of 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 287 

1776 and 1812, were decorated, with appropriate ceremonies. 
This remark applies to the graves in the village cemetery. 
After a collation in the town-house, specially furnished for 
veterans, a second and afternoon gathering was held at Con- 
toocook at the house of Mrs. C. L. George, where services 
were held in the front yard, Revs. Stone and Hopkins, and 
Revs. B. P. Parker and C. H. Leet, and Thomas B. Jones, par- 
ticipating. A march was taken through the principal streets 
to the village cemetery, in substantially the same order as in 
the morning, except that Geo. B. Hardy was marshal of the 
citizens' division. A drum corps was also added, and con- 
sisted of the following persons : Otis M. Brown, fife ; Henry 
E. Dow, snare drum ; Jeremiah S. Webber, bass drum. At 
the cemetery, the soldiers' graves were solemnly decorated, 
the same general recognition of military service being made 
as in the morning. 

Soldiers' graves in those cemeteries lying distant from 
the villages were decorated by special committees. The 
graves were all decorated with flags, while those in the 
village cemeteries were ornamented with flowers and 
wreaths furnished by the generosity and diligence of the 
ladies of the town. 

The second public observance of Memorial Day was in 
1882 : it was conducted under the auspices of Col. Putnam 
Post. 

Many residents of Hopkinton have become accustomed 
to hear the present residence of George W. Mills called the 
u Fort." The "Fort" was once the property of our former 
townsman, Moses Cross. In the old militia days, we are 
told, one of the infantry companies made Moses Cross the 
custodian of its guns when not in service, a charge to 
which Moses was very faithful, keeping the arms dry, 
bright, and clean. There was also a cannon, a piece of 
general property, of which Moses also had the care, the 
piece being also located upon his premises on the ledge, 
where Moses used to fire it on public occasions like the 
Fourth of July. These circumstances, which existed for a 
term of years, occasioned the place to receive the name of 
the " Fort," whose owner also gratuitously obtained the 
title of " Major," which he retained till the day of his 
death, October 18, 1858. Moses was apparently quite 
pleased with the title of Major. Being a man of somewhat 



288 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ludicrous propensities, he engraved upon his dog's collar the 
following legend : "I am Major Moses Cross' dog; whose dog 
are you ? " Major Cross used also to speak of himself as a 
triple identity, saying, " The Major, Moses, and I." Major 
Cross was best known as the sexton of the village ceme- 
tery, an office which he held many years, discharging it 
with a faithfulness that has never been surpassed by any 
successor. Hundreds of bodies were buried by his hand. 
His was the peculiar custom of taking a last look at the 
remains before the earth was deposited which concealed 
them from sight forever. One time the writer stood by a 
grave that Major Cross was about to fill. As the old sexton 
cast in the first earth, which fell upon the coffin-box with 
a hollow sound, Moses remarked, " That is the most solemn 
sound I ever hear." Moses Cross died a sudden and untime- 
ly death by the roadside, on the road leading directly from 
the village to Putney's hill, the spot where his body was 
found being now marked by a small upright stone pillar. 
The major's grave is marked by a plain slab in the old 
cemetery, where his remains now keep company with those 
of so many others of his neighbors and townspeople which 
his own hand buried. 



CHAPTER LXXII. 

ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 

[Concluded.] 

Matthew Harvey, state and national legislator, judge, 
and governor of New Hampshire in 1830, was many years 
a resident of Hopkinton. His house was in the village, 
his late residence being now occupied by Mrs. John S. Kim- 
ball. Judge Harvey, as he was commonly called, was a 
half-brother to John M. Bailey, who lived on the present 
Jewett road, about two miles south of the village. The 
judge at one time owned a family dog, which habitually 
attended religious services with the family at the Episcopal 
church, and lay quietly in the pew till the congregation 
was dismissed. Once the judge and his family went visit- 
ing some distance away, and, not wishing to take the dog 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 289 

along, they left him in the care of Mr. Bailey's family, on 
the Jewett road. The Bailey family were in the habit of 
attending church regularly, but worshipped at the Congre- 
gational house, to reach which they had to pass the Epis- 
copal church on their right as they went through the main 
street of the village. Judge Harvey's dog kept up his 
Sunday habits while sojourning for some weeks at Mr. 
Bailey's, but would not desert his old Episcopal service. 
So when Sunday came, he followed the Bailey family up 
to and into the village as far as the Episcopal church. 
Then he turned aside, entered the church, selected his 
master's pew, entered, and lay down quietly till service was 
over. Then he came out to meet and return with the Bai- 
ley family after the dismissal of the other congregation. 
Thus was exhibited a degree of canine single-mindedness 
truly admirable. 

Speaking of Judge Harvey, we are reminded of a little 
saying attributed to him. When the scramble for public 
office began to be more marked in town, the judge is re- 
ported to have said something like this : ''There was a time 
when there were only a few men in town that felt them- 
selves competent to assume the duties of public office, but 
now there are so many desiring promotion it becomes a dif- 
ficult thing to recognize the claims of all of them." In the 
earlier times, men could not attain public recognition of 
their ambition for official honors as easily as they often 
now do. Then a candidate might be years in working up 
a sufficient constituency to elect him. 

There is a story told of a citizen who succeeded, after 
years of trial, in obtaining a respectable support to a can- 
didacy for representative. On town-meeting day, he was 
once publicly recognized as a full-fledged candidate. Now, 
this citizen was a person of prudent mien and refined tastes, 
who disliked to see voters rushing and jostling at the polls 
or elsewhere. So, seeing a headstrong suffragist pushing 
and elbowing his way vigorously toward the moderator, he 
accosted him and asked, " What 's the matter ? Why are 
you in such haste ? " The accosted individual substantially 
responded, "I have been waiting many years to get a 
chance to vote for you, and now I am afraid that, unless I 
cast my ballot as soon as possible, you will be too old to go 
to General Court." If this story is true, we presume this 
18 , 



290 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

voter was allowed to pass up and have his name called 
without further delay; if it is not true, it is good enough 
to tell just the same. 

In a previous chapter, we have spoken somewhat at 
length of past moral customs, referring incidentally to 
drinking. We now adduce an anecdote that shows how 
great a change has been effected in public sentiment in 
regard to the management of common schools since the 
days when a teacher might take his bottle or his pipe to 
the school-house and create less public concern than would 
now result if a teacher were known to be very much ad- 
dicted to either of them at home. 

About sixty or seventy years ago, Samuel Wilson taught 
school in the Putney Hill district, having, perhaps, seventy- 
five scholars under his care. Wilson's home was on the 
road from, the Gage district to West Hopkinton, the last 
occupant of the house being Newton McAlpine, who was 
burned out about eighteen years ago. Wilson, like most 
men of his time, indulged in ardent spirits, and it is more 
than hinted that he took his bottle to school, regaling him- 
self from the contents during brief sojourns to the entry. 
At the time of which we speak, Samuel Simpson occupied 
a large, square, two-storied house, now the remodelled resi- 
dence of Reuben E. Gerry. In the upper portion of Simp- 
son's house was an open apartment, sometimes used as a 
hall, and where many a dancing party was held by the 
young people of those days. 

During Master Wilson's career as a teacher on Putney's 
hill, he found himself once at least in a generous mood that 
doubtless long after left its impress upon the memories of 
his pupils. Choosing a few of the older scholars as confi- 
dants, he contrived a grand surprise for the balance of the 
school. When the necessary preparations had been secretly 
made, the school was marshalled at the school-house, his 
few chosen older pupils acting as aids, and a march taken 
up, two by two, for Mr. Simpson's residence. Arriving at 
the house, the school was marched up-stairs into the hall, 
where seats were suitably arranged and disposed in order 
for sedentary refreshments. The ordinary preliminaries 
having been arranged, the service of refreshments was ren- 
dered, the whole school, old and young, being treated to a 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 291 

liberal supply of rum and sugar, the mixture being ad- 
justed to the taste in a highly gratifying manner. Both 
great and small enjoyed the occasion as well as school 
children of to-day appreciate a gratuitous invitation to 
partake of cake and lemonade, and the memory of it was 
as lasting. 

Four different times, Hopkinton was the seat of the legal 
government of New Hampshire. Since the permanent loca- 
tion of a capital, she has been close to the centre of func- 
tional state authority. In consequence of Hopkinton's 
peculiar privileges and situation, she was in former times a 
scene of frequent assemblies, with their attendant features 
of social activity and recreation. In those days, the pres- 
ent railway thoroughfares not being in existence, the tide 
of travel toward the capital from the western part of the 
state either stopped at, or passed through, Hopkinton. In 
later times, too, a governor-elect, if he happened to live in 
a westerly section, would likely enough be met at Hopkin- 
ton by a large delegation of officials and citizens, prepared 
to conduct or witness his escort to the state capital. On 
such occasions, Perkins's tavern was the principal resort of 
the elite, as well as of as many others as could find room for 
accommodation at its hospitable board. We think it was 
on an historically later occasion of events anticipative of 
an inauguration of a supreme state official that, among all 
the assembled ones seeking hospitality at Capt. Perkins's, 
there was a country swain of self-possessed aspect and man- 
ner, having under escort his favorite rural lass. The pair 
having taken seats at a dinner table, surrounded by a large 
company of strangers of different social style and position, 
the confident swain was approached by a waiter, who asked 
what dish would suit his special palate. 

" The best you 've got," promptly replied the rustic 
Lothario. 

The patient waiter mentioned a number of palatable prep- 
arations devised in anticipation of the occasion. Would 
he name his choice ? 

Nothing seemed to excite his particular appetite. He 
ruminated. At length he inquired, — 

" Have you any salt mackerel ? " 

The waiter informed him there were mackerel in the 
brine, but they must necessarily be freshened before cook- 



292 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ing, and the operation would unavoidably consume a con- 
siderable amount of time. 

"■Never mind the freshening," he remarked. "Bring 
me some cooked right out of the brine.' 1 

The dish was duly prepared and served according to di- 
rection. The suggestion of salt mackerel, cooked directly 
from the brine, being the best fare afforded at a first-class 
tavern, created a ripple of mirth that ran all around th& 
table. 

Keepers of public houses, like people of other vocations,, 
are not without their peculiar liabilities to annoyances, 
incident upon their special calling. In the great incon- 
gruous mass of individuals steadily seeking the advantages 
of a prominent public house are many whose freaks of fancy 
or deceit are a constant source of vexation to the landlord, 
though his customary aspect of outward complacency may 
seldom allow of an expression of the impatient fervor that- 
dwells within. The executive authority of Perkins's tav- 
ern was in no sense exempt from the common lot of all 
those offering their hospitalities to public patronage. 

Among the guests seeking hospitality at Perkins's tavern 
was the eccentric Mrs. Royal, well known for her assumed 
interest in the political conduct of our great and mighty 
nation. Mrs. Royal's sense of privilege implied the exer- 
cise of private judgment of the qualities of her acquain- 
tances, who were respectively recorded in either her " red 
book " or her " black book," as, in her estimation, they 
were either good or bad. Being at one time a visitor at 
Perkins's tavern, this model critic allowed her sense of 
privilege to extend to the voluntary appropriation of a por- 
tion of a fowl unre moved from the vessel for cooking, and 
which she abstracted with her naked fingers ; and when 
the landlady, who formerly figured more prominently than 
now in the domestic affairs of the public house, looked re- 
monstratingly at her, she only replied, " It 's Mrs. Royal to 
whom you have the pleasure of addressing yourself." 

However, the presumption of Mrs. Royal was outstripped 
in an eminent degree by a plain, unassuming wayfarer who 
called at Captain Perkins's on a wintry day, and, in a pathet- 
ically pleading voice, said, addressing the landlady, — 

" Good lady, will you be kind enough to give me a few" 
potatoes to eat with my cold meat ? " 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 293 

It was a frequent custom in those days for travellers to 
carry a portion or all of their provision on their way, and 
this fact doubtless prevented any surprise at the implied 
dietetic situation of the suppliant visitor, who, in the appre- 
hension of the landlady, appeared only a person of partial 
charitable needs. With a heart full of sympathy for want, 
she supplied the applicant for charity with a stock of pota- 
toes sufficient for a generous meal. The needy individual 
received them, buried them in the hot ashes of the ancient 
fireplace, watched them during the progress of roasting, 
removed them when done, and finally brushed and blew off 
the clinging ashes nicely. Then he resumed his former 
suppliant attitude and said, — 

" Good lady, will you be so kind as to give me a little 
cold meat to eat with my roasted potatoes ? " 

Though a person of resolute mind, the landlady was 
more impressed by the ingenuity of the presumptuous guest 
than by his perpetrated imposition, and she allowed him to 
partake of a repast of cold meat and roasted potatoes at the 
expense of the house. 

Every community has its pass-words and local phrases. 
Every one of these probably has an origin in some incident 
that may be forgotten long before the word or phrase passes 
into disuse. The origin of such a word or phrase, when 
traced out, is often curious and interesting. There was in 
town a time when, especially in the neighborhood of Put- 
ney's hill, a person of simple mind might be designated as 
one who " did n't know the way to John Gage's." The 
origin of such a description was peculiar. 

In the olden time, when the town poor were annually 
farmed out to the lowest bidder, this town supported a 
feeble-minded woman by the name of Lois Eastman. Lois 
had a home many years on Putney's hill. Once, before the 
present direct road from the hill to the village was laid out, 
a stranger called at the house where Lois lived, was met by 
her at the door, and of her he asked the way to the village, 
which was by either of two indirect roads. Lois directed 
him in part by the easterly way, saying, " Go right down 
by Joe Putney's turnip-yard, and by the sweet-apple tree, 
and so on to John Gage's." This language was, of course, 
unintelligible to an entire stranger in the vicinity, and so 
the caller replied, — "I don't know anything about Joe 



294 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Putney's turnip-yard, the sweet-apple tree, or John Gage's, 
either." Lois lost her patience, in view of what was to her 
such intolerable ignorance. " Well," said she, " you air 
one pesky divilish fool, if you do n't know the way to John 
Gage's." 

Thus the idea of mental simplicity came to be formulated 
by the phrase expressing ignorance of the way to John Gage's. 

If truth is not mighty and will not prevail, the failure of 
an expected consummation will not be for a noticeable lack 
of a formal respect for truth by some men of peculiarly 
diplomatic genius. Some men are admirable for the pains 
they take to keep within the strict letter of their promises 
and refusals, even when reason would hardly seem to imply 
such an extraordinary effort, the matter in vogue being of 
no moral importance, — for all concede the right of a man to 
change his mind when no one is to be injured by the change. 

Not many years ago, there lived in this town an eccentric 
citizen whose peculiar sayings and ways have been the 
cause of many recollections. One of his habits implied a 
peculiar and almost severe literalness in his dealings with 
others. One day he met a fellow-townsman and inquired, — 

" How much will you take for that piece of land?" 

The price was promptly named in reply. 

" I won't give it — I won't give it." 

Thus the subject was dropped. A short time afterwards, 
the inquirer of the price of the land called upon the owner 
of the piece at his home, and taking up an old thresher's 
flail, asked, — 

"What do you call this?" 

He was told the name of it. 

"A flail, — that 's what you call it ! What 's it worth? 

A mere pittance was mentioned. 

" I '11 tell you what I '11 do : I '11 give you the price you 
mentioned the other day for that land and this flail." 

He was told the proposition was agreeable. 

" Now you be sure and include this flail in the deed." 

He was assured it should be so, and in due time the 
proper legal instrument was duly elaborated, sealed, signed,, 
and delivered, the stipulation of purchase specifying a cer- 
tain tract of land, situated thus and so, and bounded as 
follows, to wit, etc., and also a certain flail, etc., and the 
purchaser had not contradicted his word. 




Hiram Chadwick. 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 295 

Managers of hotels, stores, offices, etc., which are places 
of frequent general resort, have ample opportunities to 
observe the freedom with which some people will regard a 
door. This fact is more potent in winter, when these habti- 
ually lax individuals are so prone to leave a door ajar. In 
the olden time, before the advent of stoves, and when the 
large open fireplace, full of burning wood, created a draft 
that threatened to rush everything, as it were, up the chim- 
ney, the position of a door was often a matter of more em- 
phatic importance. ' 

In one of the Contoocook taverns of the olden time was 
a bar-room with the customary open fireplace. This room 
was the frequent resort of loafers, of whom, of course, there 
was the usual proportion of wags, who found a way to turn 
any common fact to ridicule. Of course, in winter, people 
who came in to sit and chat by the fire were not always 
careful to close the door after them, and the landlord's 
patience was somewhat taxed by their negligence. One 
cold day a well known wag came in, and, leaving the door 
ajar, he was promptly accosted by the landlord, who called 
out impatiently, — 

"Do you know what that door was made for?" 

Some men would have hastily closed the door upon such 
an indirect invitation, but the wag only turned round and 
viewed its mechanism with a most imperturbable counte- 
nance, and then said, " Seventy-five cents, or a dollar ! " 

The aspect of literalness, afforded by the two foregoing 
anecdotes, suggests an original character that once lived in 
Hopkinton village. Any one who has known the village 
thoroughly during the past fifty years or more cannot plead 
ignorance of Hiram Chad wick. Hiram was indeed an 
original character, with many useful proclivities, but pos- 
sessed of certain human infirmities it is not necessary for 
us to relate. Whoever identifies him by his likeness in this 
work will recognize the inevitable slouchy cap and woollen 
frock, under and in which he used to "gorm round" so 
familiarly in past days. Hiram was the cause of many 
anecdotes, of which we have space for only one. Being the 
village butcher, when every domestic establishment repre- 
sented at least one hog to be slaughtered and dressed each 
year, Hiram performed his work at a price that was popu- 
larly esteemed reasonable. As he did various kinds of 



296 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

slaughtering, Hiram was once asked to kill a calf for a 
neighbor who was somewhat notorious on account of his 
extreme penuriousness. Hiram's reasonable price for the 
service required was only thirty-seven cents, but the penu- 
rious neighbor begged him to be so considerate as to "kill " 
his calf for a quarter. Hiram, who was equal to the emer- 
gency, promised. When the time came, Hiram gave the 
fatal stroke, waited till the calf had ceased to breathe, and 
picked up the implements of his vocation and started for 
home. 

" Here ! here ! " called his employer, " are n't you going 
to dress this calf?" 

u No," replied Hiram, "I did n't agree to dress him. I 
only promised to kill him. He 's dead, is n't he? " 

Appeals were in vain. A new contract had to be made. 
Hiram agreed to dress the calf for twenty-five cents, mak- 
ing fifty cents for the whole job, an advance of thirteen 
cents upon his original charge. 

Hiram Chadwick, who was of no mean natural abilities, 
was collector of taxes in 1828. He lived in the house now 
owned by William Son. He died December 24, 1859, freez- 
ing to death in the highway. He never married. His age 
was fifty-nine. 

Since we are in the story-telling mood, we may as well 
reproduce a regular yarn. There used to live in Hopkinton 
a citizen that could tell a yarn if occasion demanded, and 
this is more than every one can do and do it well. 

In a former chapter, we have spoken of the floods that 
sometimes occur on the Contoocook river. Sometimes 
farm-houses on the banks have been surrounded by water. 
Probably a group of old residents were telling over events 
connected with the overflows of the Contoocook, when our 
redoubtable yarn-teller perpetrated the relation we record : 

He said that once the river overflowed its banks and sur- 
rounded a house in the Tyler's Bridge neighborhood. In 
the house were a man and his wife, whom the neighbors 
kindly ventured to assist. A boat was procured, and a party 
of men rowed to the home of the distressed family, and, by 
the front door, into the room where the couple had resorted 
to a bed to elevate themselves above the water. The boat 
having reached the bedside, the unfortunate household were 
taken aboard, and preparations made to return to dry land. 



ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 297 

However, just then one of the rescuing party suggested 
that a little cider would be an agreeable reward for the ser- 
vice rendered, and upon this suggestion the head of the 
family jumped out of the boat, procured and lighted a 
candle, went down cellar and drew a supply of cider, and 
returned and regaled the company. The craft then stood 
out for shore. 



Part II. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL 



SECTION I 

ADAMS — ANNIS. 



Samuel R. Adams, the son of David Adams, was born 
in Newton, Mass., July 24, 1814. His mother's maiden 
name was Walker. In the course of his life he has resided 
in Boston, Marblehead, and Danvers, all in Massachusetts. 
He has resided in Hopkinton about fifty-five years. He is a 
shoemaker. He has been an officer of the Episcopal church 
forty or more nearly or quite consecutive years. Mr. 
Adams's first wife was Margaret Story, daughter of Moses 
Story, of Hopkinton, who bore him one son, — Thomas S. 
Mrs. Adams died June 25,* 1849, and Mr. Adams married 
Mary (Evans) Chase, of Hopkinton, who died in July, 
1874. 

Joseph H. Adams, the son of Henry Adams and Betsey 
Maxon, was born in Sutton, July 11, 1836. In the course 
of his life, he has resided in New Orleans, La., Iowa, New- 
bury, Weare, Bradford, and Hopkinton. He spent a year 
on the Mississippi river. He served in Company D, 1st 
Regiment N. H. V., during the late war. In 1862, August 
24, Joseph H. Adams married Judith (Sargent) Currier, 
daughter of John and Miriam Sargent, of Hopkinton. They 
have had children, — Lillian Iona, Leola Hortense, Claud 
Delno, Lindsey Warren. 

Myron Winslow Adams was born in Gilsum, Novem- 
ber 27, 1860, being a son of Rev. Ezra Adams and Alice 
M. Ware. The subject of this sketch was educated at Wil- 
berforce university, Ohio, Kimball Union Academy, Meri- 
den, and at Dartmouth college, graduating in the class of 
1881, being valedictorian of the class. 



302 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKLNTON. 

Resolving to devote his life to the ministry, Mr. Adams 
spent a year at Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminary and 
two years at Hartford (Ct.) Theological Seminary, where he 
graduated in 1884. The same year he became the minister 
of the Congregational church at Middle Haddam, Ct., where 
he remained two years, being ordained January 16, 1885. 
He was installed pastor of the church in Hopkinton, De- 
cember 2, 1886, and was dismissed August 30, 1888. He 
next spent a year in the post-graduate course in Andover 
Theological Seminary, and then accepted an appointment 
as teacher of Greek in the University of Atlanta, Ga., where 
he now resides. 

In 1884, May 29, Mr. Adams married Nellie B. Davis, of 
Denmark, Me. She was a daughter of William F. Davis 
and Parmela Travis. 

Willard Allen, a native of Cornish, was born Septem- 
ber 3, 1811, being a son of John Allen and Hannah Gold- 
thwait. The subject of this sketch was at first a brick- 
maker, living in Chelsea, Mass., and Croydon before he 
came to Hopkinton. Not far from 1853, he came to Con- 
toocook, and, in company with Warren M. Kempton, estab- 
lished a manufactory of mackerel kits in the building 
now used as a saw-mill by Frank I. Morrill & Co. Busi- 
ness was also done at a later period in the building once 
used by the Patterson brothers as a woollen factory. One 
or more brothers Morrill were also interested in connection 
with Mr. Allen for a time. In all, Mr. Allen was engaged 
about twenty-five years in manufacturing in Contoocook. 

In 1838, November, Willard Allen married Elvira Stone, 
of Grantham, she being a daughter of Daniel Stone. 

Two children were the offspring of this marriage — Olive 
Amanda and Walton Perkins. 

Mr. Allen died June 21, 1882 ; Mrs. Allen, October IT, 
1881. 

Marshall Bullard Angier was born March 22, 1819, 
in Southboro', Mass., being a son of Calvin Angier and 
Mira Parker. He was educated at Leicester (Mass.) acad- 
emy, Yale college, Union Theological Seminary (N.Y.), and 
Princeton (N. J.) Theological Seminary. Devoting his 
life to the Congregational ministry, he spent six months as 
a licentiate at Princeton seminary, being afterwards three 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 303 

years a home missionary in Massachusetts. In 1853, he was 
ordained pastor of the church in Hopkinton, remaining pas- 
tor till 1860. He has since been a minister in Dorchester, 
Sturbridge, and Plymouth, all in Massachusetts. During 
the war of 1861, he was connected with the Union army, 
being at the front when Lee surrendered at Appomattox 
Court House. Being in Washington, D. C, he heard the 
last speech of President Lincoln from the executive man- 
sion on the Tuesday evening previous to his assassination. 
On the following Sunday evening, the subject of this sketch 
was one of the speakers in Rev. Albert Barnes's church, in 
Philadelphia, Pa., the meeting being called to consider the 
nation's great bereavement. He regards this as one of 
the most signal events of his life. In 1881, he was a dele- 
gate from the Congregational Union of the United States 
to the Congregational Union of England and Wales, which 
celebrated its jubilee in Manchester, Lancashire. Dur- 
ing his stay abroad, Mr. Angier visited the continent of 
Europe, and made quite an extended tour. His travels in 
the British isles were also extensive. While in England, 
he made the acquaintance of Master Bradley, of Trinity 
college, Oxford, who succeeded Dean Stanley at Westmin- 
ster Abbey, which acquaintance resulted in Mr. Angier's 
admission to an eligible seat in the abbey at Master Brad- 
ley's installation as Dean. Mr. Angier was also present at 
the service including Dean Bradley's inaugural sermon, 
occupying a seat between two canons of the established 
church. 

In 1864, September 29, the subject of this sketch was 
married to Emma Smith Brewster, daughter of William 
Henry Brewster and Mary Young Allen, at Newburyport, 
Mass., the bride's home. Mrs. Angier is the ninth genera- 
tion from Elder William and Mary Brewster, of the May- 
flower. One child has been born of this marriage, — Mary 
Brewster, June 23, 1868. 

The present address of the Rev. Mr. Angier is North 
Granville, Washington Co., N. Y. 

Daniel Annis, an early proprietor of the township of 
Hopkinton, appears to have come to New Hampshire from 
Massachusetts, and located at Concord, then in Hopkinton, 
and afterwards in Warner, where he and his son-in-law, 
Reuben Kimball, also from Hopkinton, appear to have been 



304 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the first settlers. Under the Mason grant of Hopkinton, 
Daniel and John Annis were allotted two rights. By the 
nature of the record, made in 1762, it would appear that 
they owned these rights in partnership. According to 
Harriman's " History of Warner," Daniel Annis and Reu- 
ben Kimball visited Warner in 1761, and the next year went 
there to stay. Annis settled near the residence of the late 
Paine Davis, in the Dimond Corner district, and Kimball 
eventually a third of a mile to the south-west, on what was 
afterwards a part of the "old Origen Dimond farm." Dan- 
iel Annis brought his daughter Hannah, wife of Reuben 
Kimball, with her husband, to his new home in Warner, 
and she is said to have been the first white woman that 
ever lodged in that town. Daniel Annis had at least four 
sons, — Daniel, Thomas, Moses, Solomon — and three daugh- 
ters, — Hannah, Rachel, Ruth. Reuben Kimball was twenty- 
four years old at the time of his settlement in Warner, and 
his wife twenty-two. Daniel Annis lived twenty-eight 
years in Warner, and died in 1790. Daniel Kimball, the 
son of Reuben Kimball and Hannah Annis, born October, 
1762, was the first white child born in Warner. Reuben 
Kimball died May 2, 1811, aged 73. He was a son of 
Jeremiah Kimball. 



SECTION II. 

BACON — BALCH. 

John Bacon, the son of John Bacon and Hannah Pierce, 
was born in Medford, Mass., March 28, 1799. From 1822 
to 1825, he travelled in the West ; subsequently he re- 
turned and learned the trade of a brick-mason. In the 
course of his life, he resided in Boscawen (now Webster) 
and in Contoocook. He was commissioned a lieutenant of 
rifles, and took great pride in the militia. In 1825, Febru- 
ary 10, he married Sylvia Patterson, daughter of Isaac Pat- 
terson and Marcey Nelson, of Henniker. Mrs. Patterson is 
said to have taught the first school in Henniker. Mr. Ba- 
con died October 5, 1871; his wife, September 28, 1864. 
They had children, — Laura Ann, Isaac Francis, Harriet 
Maria, John Henry, Edwin Alonzo. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 305 

Joshua Bailey, one of the most influential citizens of 
Hopkinton in earlier times, was an Englishman, and came 
to this town from Massachusetts, living many years in the 
house where now resides Carlos G. Hawthorne. Mr. Bai- 
ley held many civil offices during his residence in Hopkin- 
ton. In 1775, he was a delegate to the convention at Exe- 
ter ; in 1778, he was a representative to the General Court ; 
in 1781, he was a member of the constitutional convention ; 
in 1787, he was state senator ; in 1787, also, he was a rep- 
resentative at the General Court, but, being chosen senator 
by the legislature, Aaron Greely was chosen a representa- 
tive in his stead ; from 1766 to 1791, he was town-clerk ; 
in 1768, in 1774, from 1781 to 1785, in 1787, and in 1790, 
he was a selectman. 

Joshua Bailey's military record was equally honorable 
with his civil one. As captain, he led a company of men 
in Col. Thomas Stickney's regiment, Gen. John Stark's 
brigade, at Bennington, in 1777 ; he also commanded a 
company in Colonel Kelley's regiment, General Whipple's 
brigade, in the expedition to Rhode Island in 1778. 

The following are children of Joshua Bailey, and Anna, 
his wife : John, born February 23, 1769 ; Joshua, born 
November 13, 1770 ; Elijah, born February 27, 1773 ; Bet- 
ty, born May 8, 1780; Rachel, born August 16, 1782; 
Esther, born March 18, 1785. 

Capt. Joshua Bailey died April 9, 1806, aged 68 years. 
He appears to have been twice married. His second wife 
died January 29, 1816, aged 64. She was Sarah Clement, 
of Haverhill, Mass., and was married November 6, 1788,by 
the Rev. " Joiles " Merrill, of Plaistow. 

Thomas Bailey, an early resident and distinguished 
citizen of Hopkinton, was born in Haverhill, Mass., August 
1, 1752. It appears that his father's name was Thomas, 
and that his mother's surname was Rust or Russ. Thomas 
Bailey, the subject of this sketch, seems to have come to 
Hopkinton about the time of the Revolution, or soon after 
it, as we find that he married Eunice Emerson, of Haver- 
hill, in 1776. While in Hopkinton, Mr. Bailey was promi- 
nently identified in various public uses. He was a captain 
of cavalry in the state militia. He was a trial justice of 
the peace many years. In 1784, 1785, 1787, 1788, and 
1805, he was a selectman of the town; in 1794, 1795, 
19 



306 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

1796, and 1802, he was a representative to the General 
Court. 

Thomas Bailey, by his wife Eunice, had seven children, — 
Eunice, born May 5, 1779 ; Nancy, born February 15, 1784; 
Phoebe, born March 14, 1786 ; Catharine, born November 25, 
1788; Thomas, born November 7, 1790; Sally, born Janu- 
ary 3, 1793 ; Betsey, born January 18, 1798. 

For a second wife, Mr. Bailey married Mrs. Hannah Har- 
vey, widow of Matthew Harvey, of Sutton, and a daughter 
of Philip Sargent. She was also the mother of Gov. Mat- 
thew Harvey, by her first husband. Thomas Bailey and 
Hannah (Sargent) Harvey had one child, John Milton, 
horn April 17, 1805. 

Thomas Bailey, the son of Thomas Bailey and Eunice 
Emerson, was born in Hopkinton, November 7, 1790, and 
always resided in this town. He was a farmer. He was a 
selectman from 1830 to 1834, and in 1839, 1845, and 1846. 
In 1837 and 1838, he was a representative to the General 
Court. He married Jemima Smith, daughter of Moody 
Smith. They had children, — Hannah Q., Thomas S., Will- 
iam W. Thomas Bailey died in 1855 ; his wife, in 1865. 

William Wallace Bailey, the son of Thomas Bailey 
and Jemima Smith, was born in Hopkinton. He graduated 
from Dartmouth college in the class of 1854. He is a law- 
yer, and has lived in Nashua since 1856. 

In 1858, William W. Bailey married Mary B. Greeley, 
daughter of Alfred Greeley and Mary Webster, of Nashua. 
They have had children, — Marion G., Caroline W., William 
Thomas, Hqlen M. 

Mr. Bailey has held numerous political offices, being offi- 
cially interested in several corporations, and trustee of the 
state agricultural college. He has also been Democratic 
candidate for the national house of representatives. 

John Milton Bailey, the son of Thomas Bailey and 
Hannah (Sargent) Harvey, was born in Hopkinton, April 
17, 1805. Excepting the time from 1843 to 1848, he always 
resided in Hopkinton, following the vocation of a farmer. 
His home was many years in the Jewett Road district, on 
the farm where now lives Fred. H. Bailey, his son. 

The subject of this sketch was given considerable promi- 



PEBSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 307 

nence in local affairs. He was a commissioned officer of 
the Hopkinton Rifle company in old militia days , was 
representative to the General Court in 1860 and 1864 ; was 
collector of taxes from 1862 to 1865. 

In 1827, April 9, Mr. Bailey married Lucy Proctor 
Knowlton, daughter of Daniel Knowlton and Mary Nazro 
Stocker, of Hopkinton. They had two children, — George 
H. and Fred. H. 

John Milton Bailey died January 18, 1886. 

Edwin C. Bailey, the son of Moses Bailey and Ruth 
Greene, is said to have been born in New York, June 10, 
1816. In early life, he resided some time in Hopkinton, 
and eventually went to Boston, Mass., where he became a 
clerk in the post-office, his uncle, Charles G. Greene, editor 
of the Boston Post, being post-master. After being ad- 
vanced to chief clerk, Mr. Bailey was appointed post-master 
by President Pierce. After serving his term, he purchased 
the Boston Herald, which journal he managed till about 
1870, when he sold the paper to R. M. Pulsifer & Co., and 
travelled in Europe for his health. Returning from Eu- 
rope, he located in Contoocook, where he repaired a house 
now remodelled into the Highland House. He purchased 
considerable real estate in Contoocook and vicinity, includ- 
ing the water-power, of which he rebuilt the dam. He also 
erected the present Bailey's block. He represented Hop- 
kinton in the legislature in 1874. He was a delegate to the 
Democratic National Convention at St. Louis in 1876. He 
built Bailey's block in Concord, and also engaged in a hotel 
enterprise at Stowe, Vt. While living in Boston, he was 
once a candidate for congress and again for governor of 
the state. While in New Hampshire, he was for a time 
the proprietor of the New Hampshire Patriot, printed at 
Concord. He relinquished his interest in this paper in 
1877, and in 1879 became editor of the Boston Crlobe. In 
1884, he assumed the editorial management of the Boston 
Star, and in 1886 he became the manager of the New Eng- 
land Budget, a small weekly sheet, from which he soon 
retired. He was at one time the commander of the Ancient 
and Honorable Artillery, of Boston, and bears the title of 
colonel. For some time he has resided in Boston or vicin- 
ity. Colonel Bailey has a wife and two children, — William 
P. Bailey and Mrs. L. D. Shepard. 



308 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

George Gardner Bailey, the son of Moses Bailey 
and Ruth Greene, was born in New York city, October 7, 
1820. Subsequently residing in Hopkinton, he was edu- 
cated at Hopkinton academy. Adopting the vocation of a 
printer, he became located in Boston, Mass., where he ad- 
vanced in position till he became a proprietor of the Boston 
Herald* being also the foreman of the printing-office. In 
1872, he became a resident of Hopkinton again, and in a 
year or two after built the hotel known as the Putney 
House, and later as the Mt. Putney House, burned in 1886. 
About this time Mr. Bailey resided a short period in Con- 
cord. Returning to Hopkinton, he resided there till his 
death. 

Mr. Bailey was twice married. His first wife was Susan 
Cogshall, of Nantucket, Mass., daughter of Robert Cogshall 
and Betsey Coffin, whom he married September 21, 1840. 
They had five children, — Sarah Frances, George Gardn e r 
Frederick Cogshall, who died in infancy and was succeeded 
by another son of the same name, and Anne Gardner. 
Mrs. Bailey having died January 2, 1861, Mr. Bailey mar- 
ried Henrietta Jones, of Chelsea, Mass., and daughter of 
Frederick D. S. Jones and Abbie Hathaway, January 15, 
1862. Three children were the offspring of the second 
marriage ; their names are Etta Connor, Susie Forbes Ladd, 
and Grace Gardner. 

Mr Bailey died May 11, 1885. His brother, Edwin C, 
and himself were grandsons of Isaac Bailey, and great 
grandsons of Isaac Bailey, who, it is said, came to Hopkin- 
ton from Newbury, Mass., soon after the Revolution. 
There were at one time living in Hopkinton three persons 
of the name of Isaac Bailey, being father, son, and grand- 
son. All three were members of the Congregational 
church, the father and son being in the course of events 
both deacons. 

Theodore E. Balch, the son of Theodore Balch and 
Sally Lovejoy, was born in Lyme, January 13, 1832. He 
attended school at Lyme academy. Being devoted to 
active, executive pursuits, he has travelled much and lived 
in various places. Identified with the Baptist church, Mr. 
Balch has served in various capacities as an execuctive or 
financial officer. 

Mr. Balch resided in Hopkinton from 1856 to 1868 ; in 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 309 

Wakefield, Mass., from 1868 to 1882; in Pella, la., from 
1882 to 1884 ; after a short respite, in Nashville, Tenn., 
from 1885 to 1887 ; in Wakefield, Mass., since 1887. 

While in Hopkinton, Mr. Balch was a member of the 
superintending school-committee from 1863 to 1865 ; in 
Wakefield, Mass., selectman one year, overseer of the poor 
one year, member of the board of health one year, member 
of the school-board six years, trustee of the public library 
eight or more years, besides being trustee of the Wakefield 
Savings Bank many years ; in Pella, la., chancellor of the 
Central University of Iowa ; in Nashville, Tenn., treasurer 
of Roger Williams University. He has also been twelve or 
more years in the service of the American Tract Society, 
financial agent of Colby academy, New London, and he is 
now general agent of The Watchman, assuming the position 
in 1887. 

In 1856, September 3, Mr. Balch married Ellen R. San- 
born, daughter of John Sanborn and Rebecca Coffin, of 
Boscawen. They have had children, — Ellen, Edwin R., 
Mary E., Annie G. 



SECTION III. 

BARNARD BROCKWAY. 

Joseph Barnard, the son of Nathaniel Barnard and 
Ruth French, was born in Amesbury, Mass., January 12, 
1737. He was a ship carpenter and farmer. In earlier 
life, he came to Hopkinton and located where his grandson, 
Joseph Barnard, now lives. He was an enterprising citi- 
zen, and opened the portion of highway between Hopkin- 
ton and Webster that runs through the Barnard farm. He 
also owned a saw-mill on Dolloffs brook. He was noted 
for being one of only two slave owners in Hopkinton, pur- 
chasing Seeko, in 1777, from Ruth Currier, of Kingston, 
and bringing him to this town, about one year after Mr. 
Barnard himself had located here. 

The subject of this sketch was twice married. His first 
wife was Rhoda Currier, of Amesbury, and his second, 
Olive (Blake) Hale, widow of Capt. John Hale, of Revolu- 



310 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

tionary memory, whom he married April 7, 1794. Mrs. 
Hale was of Hopkinton. 

Mr. Barnard had three children, — Khoda, born in Ames- 
bury ; Joseph, born in Hopkinton, May 6, 1795 ; Sarah, 
born April 12, 1798. 

Joseph Barnard died November, 1815. 

Olive (Blake) Hale Barnard died January, 1820. 

Joseph Barnard, the son of Joseph Barnard and Olive 
(Blake) Hale, was born in Hopkinton, May 6, 1795, and 
always resided in this town, following the vocation of a 
farmer. He became noted for his enterprise in the culti- 
vation of improved cattle and sheep, and was an extensive 
owner of real estate. He lived on the farm where his father 
settled. In local affairs he was officially prominent. He 
was an ensign of militia in his earlier manhood. In 1837 
and 1838, he was a selectman of the town ; in 1839 and 
1840, a representative to the General Court. In the chapter 
on agriculture in Part I of this work can be found the evi- 
dences of Mr. Barnard's success as a raiser of wool. 

In 1816, in June, Joseph Barnard married Miriam Jack- 
man Eastman, daughter of William Eastman and Phoebe 
Elliot, of Concord. They had five children, — Joseph, born 
November 11, 1817 ; Sallie Ann, born April 3, 1819; Mary 
Jane, born August 29, 1821 ; William Eastman, born May 
27, 1825 ; Rhoda Currier, born February 19, 1827. 

Mr. Barnard died March 15, 1870 ; his wife, September 
17, 1869. 

Joseph Barnard, the son of Joseph Barnard and Mir- 
iam Jackman Eastman, was born in Hopkinton, November 
11, 1817. With the exception of one year, 1843, in Low- 
ell, Mass., he has always lived in Hopkinton, following the 
occupation of a lumberman and farmer. For many years 
he resided in Contoocook, where he was for a time associ- 
ated in business with Abram Brown and John Burnham. 
Since the death of his father, he has resided on the old Bar- 
nard homestead, which he has much improved. As a farmer, 
he has developed much enterprise. He now keeps a strain 
of Guernsey cattle that has been bred on the same spot 
more than forty years. While in Lowell, he learned the 
trade of a stone-cutter. 

In 1838, Mr. Barnard was quartermaster-sergeant of 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 311 

the 40th Regiment N. H. M. ; from 1839 to 1841, he was 
quartermaster ; in 1840 and 1841, he was in a store in Con- 
toocook ; in 1843, in Lowell ; from 1843 to 1876, engaged 
in lumbering; in 1849, building agent of the Contoocook 
Valley Railroad from Contoocook to Hillsborough ; during 
the war of 1861, enrolling officer of the 20th district of 
New Hampshire; in 1870 and 1871, representative to the 
General Court ; in 1882, appointed commissioner of forestry 
of Merrimack county ; in 1889, member of the state consti- 
tutional convention. 

In 1849, October 26, Mr. Barnard married Maria Gerrish, 
daughter of Abiel Gerrish and Eliza Dodge, of Boscawen. 
Nine children have been the result of this marriage. Their 
names are, — Ellen M., Joseph H., Abiel G., Joseph, Mary 
E., Joseph H., George E., Rhoda F., Charles L. 

Five of these children are now living. 

Charles Barton, the son of Charles Barton and Mar- 
garet Marston, was born in Pittsfield, March 1,-1814. In 
the course of his life, he has resided in Jefferson, N. J., and 
Weare. He spent a year at sea. He is a farmer. In 1833, 
April 4, he married Phoebe Straw, daughter of Joseph Straw 
and Elizabeth Gardner, of Hopkinton. They have one 
son, Charles O. Charles Barton is conspicuous in being 
one of our older residents. 

George Clarke Blaisdell was born in Goffstown, 
November 23, 1846, being a son of Stephen Blaisdell and 
Amanda Marshall. After attending the high school in his 
native town, he fitted for college under the tuition of J. W. 
Ray, principal of the Manchester high school. Determined 
to follow the profession of medicine, he entered the office of 
Dr. A. F. Carr, of Goffstown, in 1860 ; later, the same year, 
he entered the office of Drs. Buck & Howe, Manchester. 
In the spring of 1865, young Blaisdell attended his first 
course of lectures at Bowdoin Medical College, Brunswick, 
Me. The next November, he entered the Harvard Medical 
School, Cambridge, Mass., graduating in March, 1867. In 
May, 1867, Dr. Blaisdell came to Contoocook, where he 
has since resided. 

On the 14th of May, 1868, he married Lenora Arvilla 
Curtice, daughter of Samuel Curtice and Lenora Sweat, of 
Contoocook. 



312 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Dr. Blaisdell has long been prominently connected with, 
the Contoocook Library Association, the New Hampshire 
Antiquarian Society, and the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. He is surgeon of the first regiment of Patriarchs 
Militant. In his chosen profession, he makes a specialty of 
surgery. In 1870 and 1871, he was a member of the super- 
intending school-committee of Hopkinton. 

The subject of this sketch is of Scotch descent, and traces 
his ancestral line back to Ralph Blaisdell, who, with hi 
son Henry, came to this country in 1690. 

Stephen Blanchard, the son of Aaron Blanchard and 
Tabitha Floyd, was born in Medford, Mass., July 1, 1763. 
He was a hatter. He came to Hopkinton about 1790, and 
remained till his death. He was grand lecturer in Masonry 
of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire from 1809 to 1823. 

He married Elizabeth Estabrooks, daughter of Nehemiah 
Estabrooks and Elizabeth Windship. They had children, — 
Elizabeth,, born January 26, 1789 ; Cair, born April 15, 
1790 ; Stephen, born December 16, 1792 ; David, born Feb- 
ruary 14, 1795 ; Lucy, born December 2, 1797 ; Ellen, born 
April 14, 1800 ; Hiram, born November, 14, 1802. 

Mr. Blanchard died March 16, 1829 ; his wife, April 5, 
1819. 

Hiram Blanchard, the son of Stephen Blanchard and 
Elizabeth Estabrooks, was born in Hopkinton, November 14, 
1802. Like his father, he was a hatter, who made hats in 
Hopkinton village. He always resided in Hopkinton. In 
1838, April 11, he married Mary Currier, daughter of Dr. 
John Currier and Lucy Story, of Hopkinton. They had 
children, — Darwin C, George F., Henry H., Mary Eliza- 
beth, Harriet E. Mr. Blanchard died July 14, 1871 ; his 
wife, March 30, 1861. 

Darwin Currier Blanchard, the son of Hiram 
Blanchard and Mary Currier, was born in Hopkinton, 
February 12, 1839. He was educated at Hopkinton acad- 
emy, and was for years a successful teacher of schools. He 
was at one time a clerk in a village store. He continued 
to reside in Hopkinton till 1865, when he went to New 
York city, where he became a collector of internal revenue 
for the 2d district of New York. His health failing in the 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 313 

city, he spent some time in the West, and at length located 
in Brattleborough, Vt., where he became associated in the 
management of The Household. 

Mr. Blanchard was one of the originators of the Philo- 
mathic Club, organized in Hopkinton in 1850, and has 
always been an active member of the New Hampshire 
Antiquarian Society. He is of the eighth descent from 
Thomas Blanchard, who came to this country from London 
in the ship Jonathan^ in 1639, and who died in Charles- 
town (now Maiden), Mass., in 1654. 

In 1869, January 12, Mr. Blanchard married Laura Maria 
Dexter, daughter of Silas Dexter and Maria Taylor, of 
Troy, N. Y. 

George F. Blanchard, the son of Hiram Blanchard 
and Mary Currier, was born in Hopkinton, April 2, 1841. 
He was educated at Hopkinton and New London acade- 
mies. He served in the 14th Regiment N. H. Vols, dur- 
ing the late war, walking from New London to Concord to 
enlist. He was mustered in September 24, 1862, as a ser- 
geant of Company H. He was commissioned second lieu- 
tenant of Company C, September 22, 1863 ; promoted to 
first lieutenant, February 19, 1864 ; commissioned captain 
of Company A, November 22, 1864 ; mustered out July 8, 
1865. In the summer of 1864, he was acting adjutant of 
the regiment. From January, 1865, till discharged from 
the service, he was acting assistant adjutant-general of the 
1st Brigade, 2d division, of the 19th Army Corps. He was 
detailed in charge of the guard of his regiment to have 
custody of 119 rebel officers captured at Gettysburg, and 
conducted to Johnson's Island. Since the war he has 
resided in Chicago, 111., seven months ; in Nebraska from 
1866 to 1880 ; in Dakota from 1880 to 1885 ; in Nebraska 
again from 1885 to the present time. He was commissioner 
of Dodge county, Neb., from 1869 to 1872 ; state senator 
and president of the senate, from 1877 to 1879. He was an 
Indian trader from 1878 to 1885. He was for a time clerk 
of the city council of Fremont, Neb., and warden of the St. 
James church. 

In 1868, January 23, Captain Blanchard married Maria 
L. Holbrook, daughter of Theodore Holbrook and Rachel 
Smith, of Chicago, 111. They have children, — Mary C, 
Julia E., Belle C, Maud E. and Mollie L. (twins), Charles 
P., Fay H. 



314 ' LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

At the present time, Captain Blanchard has a "flattering 
prospect of becoming Register of the United States Land 
office at Sidney, Neb., the entire delegation of his state in 
congress supporting him for that position. He will doubt- 
less receive the appointment at an early date. 

Tilton C. H. Bouton, acting pastor of the Congrega- 
tional church, was born in Chicago, 111., November 2, 1856, 
being a son of Samuel Fletcher Bouton and Ann Louisa 
Hall. He graduated from Kimball Union Academy, Meri- 
den, in 1874 ; from Dartmouth college, in 1878 ; from An- 
dover (Mass.) Theological Seminary in 1881. 

In 1881, July 14, Mr. Bouton was ordained and installed 
pastor of the church in Dunbarton. In 1889, April 1, he 
became acting pastor of the church in Hopkinton. 

In 1881, June 30, Mr. Bouton married Annie S. White- 
house, daughter of Sidney F. Whitehouse and Elizabeth 
Dodge. Two children have been the result of this union, — 
Fletcher Park and Ruth Elizabeth. 

Calvin Boutwell, distinguished for being a nonagen- 
arian, was born in Amherst, August 10, 1797, being a son 
of Joseph Boutwell and Abigail Farmer. He is a black- 
smith by trade. He came to Hopkinton when 17 years 
old, and, excepting ten years, has lived in Contoocook ever 
since. He is a pensioner of the war of 1861, in conse- 
quence of the death of his youngest son, E. Weston Bout- 
well. 

Mr. Boutwell married Charlotte Fisk, daughter of 
Ephraim Fisk and Abigail Sawyer, of Concord, by whom 
he had the following children : John, Horace L., William, 
Charlotte, Mary, E. Weston. Mrs. Boutwell died in Decem- 
ber, 1866. In 1874, Mr. Boutwell married Mrs. Sarah 
(Butterfield) Davis, of Boston, Mass., who died several 
years ago. 

Horace L. Boutwell, the son of Calvin Boutwell and 
Charlotte Fisk, was born in Amherst, January 24, 1822. 
In the course of his life he has resided in Hopkinton, Low- 
ell, Mass., Hillsborough, Mont Vernon, and Stoneham, 
Mass. He was one of the first locomotive engineers on the 
Contoocook Valley Railroad, built in 1849, and extending 
from Contoocook to Hillsborough Bridge. Mr. Boutwell 



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4H HL: * 


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■ISbh^IL 





Eli A. Boutwell. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 315 

resided at Hillsborough from 1849 to 1856, being nearly or 
all of the time a railroad engineer. In 1848, June 6, he 
married Martha A. Trow, daughter of Jesse Trow and 
Nancy Cochran, of Mont Vernon. They have had chil- 
dren, — M. Ella, Frank T., George P., Fred, Harry. Mr. 
Boutwell now resides at Amherst. 

Eli Allen Boutwell, the son of Samuel P. Boutwell 
and Lydia Allen, was born in Barre, Vt., February 25, 
1833. He resided in Vermont till 1<S52, when he came to 
Hooksett. In 1853 he came to Hopkinton ; in 1856, went 
to Illinois; in 1862, went into the Union army ; in 1865, 
returned to Hopkinton, where he has resided since, follow- 
ing the occupation of a farmer and lumberman. 

During the war of 1861, Mr. Boutwell served three years 
in the 106th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, entering the 
service as a private and leaving it as a sergeant. For a 
while during the war, he attended a military school at Phil- 
adelphia, Pa. He was collector of taxes in Hopkinton in 
1874 and 1875, appraiser of real estate in 1875, selectman 
from 1876 to 1878, and representative in 1879. He was 
chosen a supervisor of the check-list in 1882, 1884, 1886, 
and 1888. 

In 1855, March 7, Mr. Boutwell married Harriet Walker 
Weeks, daughter of Thomas Jefferson Weeks and Hannah 
Cogswell Smith, of Hopkinton. Five children have re- 
sulted from this union. Their names are Rosella, Harvey 
Lincoln, Henry Beecher Allen, Arthur Jefferson, Ella. 

Samuel G. Bradbury, the son of Winthrop Bradbury 
and Hannah Goodwin, was born in Hopkinton, June 17, 
1818. In the course of his life he has resided 14 years in 
Concord. The rest of his life has been in Hopkinton. 
During the late war he served in Company H, 14th Regi- 
ment N. H. Vols., being mustered in September 24, 1862, 
and discharged for disability at Portsmouth Grove, R. I., 
October 12, 1863. 

In 1845, April 1, Samuel G. Bradbury married Martha 
Mallard, of Alton. She was the daughter of William Mal- 
lard and Miriam Briar. They have children, — Clara, 
Charles H., Abbie, Emma. 

John G. Brockway, son of John Brockway and Mary 
Eaton, was born in Wilmot, June 9, 1834. He resided 



516 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

in Wilmot till 1836, when, his family removed to Sutton, 
remaining till 1860, when they moved to Hopkinton, locat- 
ing on the spot now occupied by John G. in the Jewett 
Road district. Mr. Brockway is a farmer. In 1881 and 
1882, he was a selectman ; in 1887, a representative to the 
General Court. 

In 1856, January 25, Mr. Brockway married Amanda M. 
Carroll, daughter of John P. Carroll and Rachel Powers, 
of Cornish. They have two children, — Fred J. and Etta B. 

Fred J. Brockway, son of John G. Brockway and 
Amanda M. Carroll, was born in Sutton, February 24, 
1860. When an infant he came with his father to Hopkin- 
ton, where he showed in early years a precocious tendency 
to scholarship. Giving special attention to study, he grad- 
uated at the New Hampshire Conference Seminary at Til- 
ton, in 1877 ; at Yale college in 1882 ; taught two years at 
Stamford, Ct.; graduated at the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons in New York city in 1887 ; practised in the sur- 
gical department of Roosevelt hospital two years ; is now 
assistant surgeon at Johns Hopkins hospital, Baltimore, Md. 
During his preparatory, professional career, he was under 
the private instruction of the late Dr. Sands, of New York 
city, for the period of four years. 



SECTION IV. 

BROWN — BUSWELL. 

Abraham Brown, of Salisbury, Mass., came to Hopkin- 
ton before the Revolution, and cleared up a farm on the 
spot where now lives Guy Montgomery, on Putney's hill. 
He was a successful farmer. Giving special attention to 
fruit, he sowed apple and pear seeds and became a nursery- 
man. It is said that most of the primitive orchards in the 
town were the products of his stock. A similar fact is 
stated of surrounding towns. He raised an entire acre of 
pear trees in one lot, and his varieties of this kind of fruit 
numbered fifteen, all grafted by himself. He had also four 
distinct apple orchards, grafted fruit of the best known 
varieties. In one year he made two hundred barrels of 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 317 

cider, according to the record. He had under his cultiva- 
tion peaches, plums, cherries, grapes, currants, gooseberries, 
etc. He is entitled to eminent distinction for his work as- 
a fruit cultivator at so early a time. 

Abraham Brown was a Friend, or Quaker, in religion. 
He died April 23, 1812, aged 65 ; Sarah French, his wife, 
died March 25, 1819, aged 71. 

There were at least four children of Abraham Brown, — 
Abram, Philip, Sarah, Gould. 

Abram Brown, son of Abraham and Sarah (French) 
Brown, was born March 13, 1779. He succeeded to the 
farm of his father, and mainly resided on it till his death 
on the 15th of December, 1852. In early life, he was a 
school-teacher. He had charge of the Beech Hill school 
some time. He also taught about a year in Sholhom, N. Y. 
When about twenty-three, he came home to Putney's hill 
to stay. He conducted a tannery about twelve or fifteen 
years. Engaging in the lumber business in 1826, or about 
that time, he went into partnership with John Burnham, 
at Contoocook. In 1835, they added a grist-mill. In 1844, 
Joseph Barnard became a member of the firm of Brown & 
Burnham, the business being continued by Messrs. Burn- 
ham & Barnard after the death of Mr. Brown. 

Mr. Brown was prominent in politics, being a Democrat. 
In 1817, 1818, 1822, 1823, 1826, 1834, and 1835, he was a 
member of the state house of representatives. In 1839 and 
1840, he was a member of the state senate. He was also 
the incumbent of town offices. In 1812, 1813, 1816, 1819, 
and 1827, he was a selectman. 

In 1814, January 6, Abram Brown married Eunice Kim- 
ball, of Plainfield, a daughter of Joseph Kimball. Five 
children surviving to maturity were the result of this union. 
Their names are Alpheus R., Ellen K., Malvina, George, 
Elizabeth K. 

Mrs. Brown died October 4, 1862, aged 79. 

Alpheus R. Brown, son of Abram Brown and Eunice 
Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, November 3, 1814. He 
was educated at Hopkinton academy and at Dartmouth col- 
lege, and became an attorney-at-law. From 1837 to 1871, 
he resided at Lowell, Mass. ; after 1871, he resided at Som- 
erville, Mass., till his death, November 1, 1889. 



318 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

During a portion of the year 1836, after graduating from 
college, he was the preceptor of Hopkinton academy. He 
was admitted to the bar in Lowell, in 1839. In 1852, he 
was a member of the Massachusetts legislature. He was a 
member of the constitutional convention of 1853. He was 
five years solicitor of the city of Lowell. He was eleven 
years an officer of the Lowell Phalanx. In 1864, he was a 
member of the Chicago National Democratic Convention. 
In later years, he was an associate justice of the police 
court of Somerville. 

As an attorney, Mr. Brown was engaged in many impor- 
tant trials, involving intricate questions of law. In 1862 
and 1863, by assignment of the judges of the supreme court 
of Massachusetts, he defended Anna Dower, indicted for 
murder, and, after three protracted jury trials, she was dis- 
charged. 

Mr. Brown was three times a Democratic candidate for 
congress, but, being in the party of the minority, was un- 
successful. 

In 1844, August 8, Mr. Brown married Caroline B. Var- 
num, of Dracut, Mass. She was a daughter of Benjamin 
F. Varnum and Caroline Bradley. Two living children are 
the result of this union, — Grace C. and Alpheus R. 

Mrs. Brown died in Somerville, May 27, 1875. 

Horace F. Brown, the son of Langdon Brown and 
Catharine Pierce, was born in Hopkinton, August 20, 1850. 
He was educated at Hopkinton and Contoocook academies, 
at New London Literary and Scientific Institution, gradu- 
ating in 1872, at Brown University, graduating in 1876, and 
at Newton (Mass.) Theological Seminary, graduating in 
1879. 

Mr. Brown's home was in Hopkinton till 1873 ; in War- 
ner, till 1879. Being a Baptist clergyman, he resided in 
Antrim from 1879 to 1884, being ordained there in 1879 ; 
in Rumney, from 1884 to 1887 ; in Athol, Mass., from 1887 
to the present time. 

The Rev. Mr. Brown was superintending school-commit- 
tee of Antrim in 1883 and 1884 ; clerk of the Dublin Asso- 
ciation, from 1880 to 1885 ; same of Meredith Association, 
in 1885 and 1886 ; secretary of N. H. Baptist S. S. Conven- 
tion, from 1881 to 1887 ; president of N. H. Conference of 
Baptist Ministers, in 1886 ; moderator of Miller's River 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 319 

Association, Mass., in 1888 and 1889, and at the same time 
member of the board of the Massachusetts Baptist Conven- 
tion. 

In 1879, December 16, the subject of this sketch married 
Jessie L. P. Wate, daughter of Jacob N. Wate and Eliza- 
beth W. Richardson, of New London. She died January 
29, 1886, and, May 16, 1888, Mr. Brown married Annie S. 
Wate, of Athol, sister of his first wife. Two children were 
born of the first marriage. Their names are Reginald 
Langdon and Horace Theodore. 

Thomas Burnham was a native of Ipswich, Mass., and 
with Ruth Cavis, his wife, came to Hopkinton toward the 
close of the last century, and settled on the easterly slope 
of Putney's hill, by the road leading directly from the vil- 
lage to the hill. The house now stands on the estate of 
the late Ignatius W. Fellows. When Mr. Burnham came 
to Hopkinton, his wife took along a lilac bush, which was 
planted by the roadside at her new home. The bush now 
extends several rods by the side of the road. It is said 
that this bush was the source of all the common lilacs in 
the town. 

There were at least four children of Thomas and Ruth 
Burnham. They were Thomas, born October 18, 1794; 
John, born October 30, 1796 ; Abraham, born September 
27, 1800 ; Lucy, born April 22, 1804. 

Thomas Burnham was a privateer under Capt. Leach, of 
Salem, Mass., during the Revolution. 

Mr. Burnham died June 12, 1823, aged 68 ; his wife died 
May 24, 1851, aged 86. Their graves are in the old ceme- 
tery on Putney's hill. 

Thomas Burnham, son of Thomas Burnham and Ruth 
Cavis, was born October 18, 1794. He was for years a 
resident of Contoocook. From 1836 to 1840, he was clerk 
and treasurer of the town of Hopkinton. 

In 1831, when a post-office was first established in Con- 
toocook, Thomas Burnham became the post-master. 

Mr. Burnham died August 24, 1840, aged 46. Martha 
Tucker, his wife, died March 8, 1887, aged 90 years and 6 
months. 

John Burnham, a citizen prominently identified with 
the history of Hopkinton, was a son of Thomas Burnham, 



320 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

being born October 30, 1796. Previously to 1814, he spent 
his life as a farmer's boy, then entering the military service, 
under Capt. Silas Call, in Lieutenant-Colonel John Steel's 
regiment, stationed for the defence of Portsmouth. An older 
brother having been drafted for the service, John enlisted 
as a substitute. Borrowing a gun from a neighbor, he went 
to Portsmouth on foot. At Epping he stopped at a tavern 
for the night, but the next morning the landlord refused 
pay from a youth on his long way to serve his country. 
After leaving the military ranks, he determined to pursue 
the medical profession ; preliminarily to regular study, he 
obtained employment in the Massachusetts Medical Hospi- 
tal, Boston. As often occurs in the experience of young 
men, a subsequent reflection changed his mind. He re- 
turned to Hopkinton and entered into farming occupations 
again. About this time he lived a year with Abram Brown. 

In 1823, he began the manufacture of lumber, sawing 
clapboards in what was then the old scythe factory in Con- 
toocook. In 1826, or thereabouts, he went into partner- 
ship in the lumber business with Abram Brown. They 
bought woodland, cut the timber, and turned it into lum- 
ber. They purchased an old saw-mill, and fitted it up for 
the manufacture of boards, ship-timber, and various kinds 
of stuff. In 1835, they added a grist-mill. In 1844, Joseph 
Barnard became a member of this firm, whose business was 
for years a leading feature in the manufacturing enterprise 
of the town. Mr. Brown died in 1852, and the business 
was conducted by the two remaining members of the firm, 
till the death of Mr. Burnham in 1867. 

Mr. Burnham was more or less of his life actively engaged 
in politics, being an ardent Democrat. In 1846 and 1847, 
he represented his town in the state legislature. He was 
also a member of the constitutional convention in 1850, and 
senator in 1860 and the year following. 

The death of the subject of this sketch occurred on the 
12th of April, 1867. His funeral took place in the New 
Church or Swedenborgian house of worship, and was con- 
ducted with Masonic honors. His funeral sermon was 
preached by the Rev. Abiel Silver, of Salem, Mass. A large 
attendance of the citizens of the town was present. 

Mr. Burnham was thrice married. In 1829, December 8, 
he married Miss Susan E. Wadleigh, of Sutton. She died 
October 2, 1836 ; his second wife was Miss Betsey Whittier„ 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 321 

of Boscawen, whom he married December 8, 1840. She 
died June 29, 1853. His third wife was Adeline S. Davis, 
of Warner, whom he married March 7,1854. . His first wife 
bore him three sons : James M., born January 4, 1831 ; John 
F., born February 10, 1833 ; Edward D., born August 8, 
1835. 

James M. Burnham, the eldest son of John Burnham 
and Susan E. Wadleigh, was born in Hopkinton, January 
4, 1831. He was educated at Hopkinton academy, and 
studied law in the office of Morrison & Stanley at Manches- 
ter. In 1859, he was a member of the New Hampshire 
house of representatives ; in 1863, a member of the superin- 
tending school-committee of Hopkinton ; in 1865, he was 
again in the house of representatives ; in 1871, he was door- 
keeper of the house of representatives. He is now in the 
treasury department of the U. S. government at Washing- 
ton, occupying a position in the second auditor's depart- 
ment. 

James M. Burnham married Emma F. Marston, of Deer- 
field, August 23, 1860. She is a daughter of Enoch R. 
Marston and Mary Ann Bartlett. They have two sons, — 
Walter M. and John C. 

John Ferdinand Burnham, the second son of John 
Burnham and Susan E. Wadleigh, was born in Hopkinton, 
February 10, 1833. He was educated at Hopkinton acad- 
emy, and devoted a portion of his early life to teaching. 
He afterwards followed the occupation of a farmer and 
lumberman at Contoocook. In 1864 and 1865, and also in 
1872 and 1873, he was a selectman. In 1882, he moved to 
West Randolph, Vt. 

Mr. Burnham married Satira W. Peabody, of Antrim, 
May 12, 1858; she died November 22, 1869. They had 
four children, — Herbert Byron, Susie Wadleigh, Addie 
Leona, May Ella. His second wife was Frances E. Rich- 
mond, of West Randolph, Vt., whom he married September 
15, 1872. They have one child, — Clara Blanche. 

Edward D. Burnham, third son of John Burnham and 
Susan E. Wadleigh, was born August 8, 1835. He was 
educated at Hopkinton academy, and was for years a miller, 
20 



322 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

lumberman, or farmer. In 1875, he was a member of the 
executive council of New Hampshire. He married Georgia 
D. Davis, of Contoocook, by whom he had four sons, — 
Nathan D., Fred T., Frank P., and Charles D. Mr. Burn- 
ham died March 30, 1887. 

Abraham Buenham, son of Abraham Burnham and 
Ruth Cavis, was born in Hopkinton, September 27, 1800. 
He resided on the old homestead at the time of his death, 
February 28, 1853, he being 52 years old. He was a cap- 
tain of militia. In 1838, he was elected a member of the 
state house of representatives, but it is said his modesty 
prevented him from assuming the duties of the office. He 
married Elizabeth Cross, daughter of Moses Cross, of Hop- 
kinton, but had no children. 

Christie W. Burnham, the son of Samuel Burnham 
and Sally P. Sargent, was born in Bow, September 19, 
1832. He resided in Bow till 1841; in Manchester, till 
1860; in Hamilton, N. Y., till 1863 ; in Hopkinton, till 1871 ; 
in Valley Falls, R. I., till 1874 ; in Hinsdale, till 1876 ; in 
Stanton, Mich., till 1877 ; in Pontiac, Mich., till 1880 ; in 
Manistigue, Mich., till 1882 ; since then till the present 
time he has resided in Pawtuxet, R. I. He is a clergyman. 
He was educated at Madison University and Hamilton Theo- 
logical Seminary. He was ordained pastor of the Baptist 
church, Hopkinton, October 14, 1863, remaining till the 
last Sunday in August, 1871. In 1868, he was a member 
of the superintending school-committee of Hopkinton. He 
has also served in the same capacity in Hinsdale, Cumber- 
land, R. I., and Manistigue, Mich. He has held different 
clerical positions in associations of his church. 

Rev. Mr. Burnham married Frances A. Works, daughter 
of Almon Works and Sarah H. Kilgore, of Manchester. 
They have children, — Samuel Bradford, Almon Christie. 

Benjamin A. Burns, the son of James Burns and Dor- 
cas Annis, was born in Somerset, Me., and came to Hop- 
kinton about twenty-three years ago. During the late war, 
he served in Company B, 9th Regiment N. H. Vols. In 
1849, he married Laura (Stone) Smith, the daughter of 
Elijah Stone and Dorcas Gibson, of Henniker. She died 
October 24, 1889. Mr. Burns is a farmer. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 323 

Benjamin Buswell, from whom BuswelPs Corner ap- 
pears to derive its name, was the son of Benjamin Buswell 
and Judith Moody, and was born in Amesbury, Mass., Au- 
gust 25, 1766. In 1789, he came to Concord, where he 
lived two years, and then moved to Hopkinton, where he 
resided till his death, June 14, 1851. In 1790, he occupied 
a new house he had built at Buswell's Corner. Benjamin 
Buswell, Jr., was a veterinary surgeon, or farrier, and prob- 
ably the first one ever in Hopkinton. 

In 1790, he married Joanna Carter, daughter of Lieut. 
Ezekiel and Eleanor Eastman (Johnson) Carter. She died 
August 15, 1862. They had children, — Andrew, born May 
3, 1791; Eleanor Carter, born February 6, 1793; Ephraim 
Carter, born January 24, 1795; Elizabeth Kimball, born 
March 5, 1797 ; Moses, born May 1, 1799 ; John, born Sep- 
tember 15, 1802; Judith Moody, born October 22, 1804; 
Rhuey Herrick, born July 18, 1806 ; Joanna Carter, born 
August 23, 1808 ; Jane Woods, born January 11, 1811 ; 
Catharine Carter, born April 8, 1816 ; Samuel Smith, born 
October 13, 1818. 



SECTION V. 

CALL CHANDLER. 

Royal Call, a former physician of Hopkinton, is said 
to have been a native of Boscawen (now Webster). He 
came to this town about 1822, and remained till about 
1834, when he went to Lowell, Mass. He married Mary 
Putney, daughter of Samuel Putney, of Hopkinton. They 
had one daughter. Dr. Call lost a leg in early life, but 
learned, with the aid of a crutch, to mount a horse in an 
instant, as it were. He resided on the road from Contoo- 
cook to West Hopkinton. 

Jonah Campbell, a noted martial musician, was born 
in Henniker, March 20, 1796, being a son of Phineas Camp- 
bell. His mother's maiden name was Bowman. The sub- 
ject of this sketch lived in Henniker till 1840, in New Lon- 
don till 1848, and ever afterwards in Hopkinton, at a place 
called Campbell's Corner, near West Hopkinton. Mr. 



324 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Campbell was a farmer, but in the days of the old militia 
system, became a famous drummer. He was drum-major 
of his regiment. His pleasure and pride in his drum in- 
duced frequent practice till old age. In company with 
George Choat, a famous fifer, he performed at public festi- 
vals almost to the end of his life. He died May 6, 1880. 

Mr. Campbell was twice married. His first wife was 
Candace, daughter of Alexander Campbell, of Henniker. 
She died in August, 1828. His second was Elizabeth 
(Jones) Philbrick, daughter of Ezra Jones, of New Lon- 
don. 

By his first wife, Mr. Campbell had a son, Harvey, who 
lived to maturity ; by his second, another, Francis J. 

Harvey Campbell, the son of Jonah and Candace 
Campbell, was born in Henniker, January 24, 1826. He 
attended the Henniker high school, and became a woollen 
manufacturer. He lived in Henniker till 1840, in New 
London till 1844, in Hopkinton till 1874, living since in 
Concord, being now a resident of Penacook. From 1858 
to 1873, he managed a woollen carding-mill in Contoocook, 
being burned out in the latter year. 

Mr. Campbell was the town-clerk of Hopkinton in 1865 
and 1866, register of deeds of Merrimack county from 1871 
to 1873, and deputy secretary of state in 1874. 

Mr. Campbell married Adeline Dow, adopted daughter 
of Ebenezer Wyman, of Hopkinton, and daughter of Moses 
Dow, on the 26th of May, 1851. 

They have had three children, — Edwin Harvey, Charles 
Channing, Alma Edla Candace. 

Michael Carlton, a former Baptist clergyman of Hop- 
kinton, was a native of Blue Hill, Me., and was educated 
at Waterville, Me. 

He was ordained pastor of the church in Hopkinton, 
June 27, 1822 ; resigned September 14, 1832. During his 
pastorate, the Calvin is tic element of the church rallied 
around him, and a schism resulted in the organization of 
the Freewill Baptist church at Contoocook, the Calvinists 
locating at Hopkinton village, the original church having 
been at the foot of the southern slope of Putney's hill. 
Leaving Hopkinton, the Rev. Mr. Carlton settled in Salem, 
Mass., where he died in 1865, in advanced age. While in 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 325 

Hopkinton he took a prominent interest in the temperance 
cause, and was active in promoting education. In 1827, he 
was one of the first trustees of Hopkinton academy. The 
same year he was a member of the town superintending 
school-committee. He also enjoyed military distinction, 
being chaplain of the 40th regiment, receiving his appoint- 
ment in 1825. While in Salem, Mass., he was a seaman's 
minister and a city missionary. 

Rev. Michael Carlton was twice married. His first wife 
was Deborah Hunt, of Salem, Mass., by whom he had three 
children, — Deborah, Charles, Mary. His second wife was 
Hannah Perkins, also of Salem, and by whom he had four 
children, — Francis, Priscilla, Lizzie, Francis. 

Frank H. Carr, the son of Thomas W. Carr and Caro- 
line C. Connor, was born in Hopkinton, February 8, 1841. 
From 1859 to 1871, he lived in Henniker; the rest of his 
life he has resided in Hopkinton. He is a mechanic and 
the proprietor of the lumber mills at West Hopkinton. He 
served in the 2d Regiment of U. S. Sharpshooters during the 
late war. He was mustered in December 12, 1861 ; re- 
enlisted December 21, 1863 ; promoted to sergeant Novem- 
ber 1, 1864 ; transferred to 5th N. H. Vols., January 30, 
1865 ; commissioned second lieutenant of Company A, May 1, 
1865 ; mustered out, June 28, 1865. 

In 1868, October 31, Frank H. Carr married Mary A. 
Chandler, daughter of William Chandler and Anna H. 
Straw, of Henniker. They have children, — Anna C, 
William T., Lucy Clara, John Frank. 

Arthur Caverno, a once distinguished clergyman of 
Contoocook, was born in that part of Barrington now 
called Strafford, April 6, 1801, being a son of Jeremiah 
Caverno and Margaret Brewster. Until 18 years of age, 
Arthur attended only the common school, and then he was 
sent six months to Gilmanton academy, under the tuition 
of Prof. A. Mack. Subsequently, he taught school a num- 
ber of years. In 1821, he studied practical surveying with 
David Clarke, of Northwood. In the summer of 1822, he 
attended school at South Newmarket, Prof. M. White being 
preceptor. 

In 1818, having made public profession of religion, the 
subject of this sketch was baptized by the Rev. Enoch Place, 



326 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

of Rochester, on the 11th of November, his mother being bap- 
tized at the same time. He began preaching in 1820 ; was 
licensed by the New Durham Quarterly Meeting, convened 
at Deerfield, August 23, 1822 ; was ordained in an oak 
grove at his old homestead, June 17, 1823, the ordaining 
council being Revs. Samuel B. Dyer, Moses Bean, David 
Harriman, Enoch Place, and William Buzzell. In 1824, he 
organized a church in Epsom, where he remained three 
years. In 1828, he came to Contoocook as stated pastor of 
the Union or Freewill Baptist church, remaining till 1833, 
during which residence he not only identified himself suc- 
cessfully with the cause of religion, but also was specially 
active in the great temperance reform that occurred during 
this period. An address on the subject of temperance, 
which he delivered to the church, was published and had 
an extensive circulation. Leaving Contoocook, he settled 
in Great Falls, where he remained till 1836, preaching, lec- 
turing on temperance, and writing editorially for the 
Morning Star. During this period, he was chosen a mem- 
ber of the examining board of Parsonfield (Me.) Seminary, 
assisted in the organization of the Freewill Baptist Home 
and Foreign Mission societies, and published a sermon on 
capital punishment, taking positive grounds against it. 
His health failing, he resigned his ministerial charge and 
accepted an agency for the Strafford academy, in which he 
served two years, lecturing on education at the same time. 
Later, he filled pastorates iu Providence, R. L, Charlestown, 
Mass., Bangor, Me., Candia, N. H., Dover, N. H., Gardiner, 
Me., and one or two other places. The last years of his life 
were spent in Dover, where he died July 15, 1876. 

In 1823, December 23, Rev. Arthur Caverno married 
Olive H. Foss, who died January 30, 1854. 

They had two children, — Elizabeth A., born November 29, 
1824, and Marilla M., born January 12, 1832. 

In 1855, February 7, Rev. Mr. Caverno married Mrs. 
Isabel J. Soule, of Bath, Me. 

Isaac Chandler, one of the Masonian grantees of Hop- 
kinton, is said to have come to this town from Ipswich, 
Mass. In the record of rights held under the Masonian 
grant, Isaac Chandler and Isaac Chandler, Jr., held one 
right each. Isaac Chandler was one of the first selectmen 
chosen after the incorporation of the town in 1765. The 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 327 

name of Isaac Chandler appears in the annual list of Hop- 
kinton's selectmen eight times from 17G5 to 1783, not to 
mention Sergeant Chandler, Lieutenant Chandler, and 
Major Chandler, who all appear in the selectmen's list with- 
in the time mentioned, and may have all been the same in- 
dividual. The abundance of shady elms now adorning 
Hopkinton village, are said to be largely the result of the 
early forethought of Isaac Chandler and Isaac Chandler, Jr. 
The name of Isaac Chandler appears in the colonial records 
of New Hampshire during the French war. Isaac Chand- 
ler, Sr., is said to have died before the Revolution. Isaac 
Chandler, Jr., died December 3, 1809, aged 82; Meril, his 
wife, June 3, 1805. Isaac Chandler, Jr., is identified as a 
major by his gravestone in the old cemetery in Hopkinton 
village. 

William S. Chandler, the son of Moses Chandler and 
Nellie Stinson, was born in Hopkinton, August 29, 1810. 
With the exception of one year in Boston, Mass., he resided 
in Hopkinton till 1838. While in Hopkinton, he was for a 
time in mercantile pursuits, and was for two years a first 
lieutenant in the light infantry. On leaving Hopkinton, he 
was about two years clerk for A. T. Stewart of New York 
city. Subsequently, he was nearly three years teller and 
assistant cashier of a bank in Montreal, Canada. Two 
years afterwards, he was in mercantile business at Lowell, 
Mass. In 1844, he went to New Orleans, La., where he 
began the study of dental surgery with Dr. F. H. Knapp. 
From 1845 to 1853, he was in Natchez and Port Gibson, 
Miss., and then he returned to New Orleans, where he re- 
sided till his death, July 18, 1884. In 1849, he graduated 
from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery. 

Dr. Chandler was one of the incorporators of the New 
Orleans Dental Association in 1865, and for eight years its 
president. He was one of the signers of the charter of the 
New Orleans Dental College in 1867, and was a professor 
and clinical instructor in the same institution for five years. 
He was then emeritus professor of operative dental surgery. 
He was one of the incorporators of the Louisiana State Den- 
tal Society in 1880 ; one of the signers of the constitution of 
the New Orleans Odontological Society in 1881, and event- 
ually president of the same ; one of the incorporators of the 
Southern Art Union in 1881, and eventually one of its 
executive committee. 



328 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In 1865, November 16, Dr. Chandler married Alice 
Amelia Rulon , daughter of George Ruloff: and Maria Tib- 
bets, of New Orleans. She died April 28, 1866. In 1870, 
April 2, Dr. Chandler married Julia Gertrude Knapp, 
daughter of Prof. Moses L. Knapp and Mary Jane Long, of 
New Orleans, by whom he had one son, Robert A. 

Isaac H. Chandler, the son of Isaac Chandler and 
Lucy Withington, was born in Boston, Mass., October 13, 
1820. He attended school in Boston and Andover, Mass. 
He resided in Boston till 1828, in Hopkinton till 1876, and 
in Concord since. Mr. Chandler was many years a passen- 
ger conductor on the Concord Railroad, and mail agent in 
1861 and 1862. 

Mr. Chandler married Caroline E. Shaw, of Boston, 
Mass., and daughter of Earl Shaw and Mary Thomas. They 
have had six children, — Caroline Maria, Henry E., George 
Russel, who died in infancy and was succeeded by another 
son of the same name, Frank W., and Isaac S. 



SECTION VI. 

CHASE — CHOAT. 

Jonathan Chase was a native of Concord, who became 
a soldier in the French war. In 1755, he was in Col. Jo- 
seph Blanchard's regiment, in Capt. Joseph Eastman's com- 
pany, in the expedition against Crown Point. He came to 
Hopkinton before the Revolution, and in 1777 was in Col. 
Henry Gerrish's regiment, in Capt. John Hale's company, 
called out to reinforce General Gates. In 1776, Jonathan 
Chase was moderator of Hopkinton town-meeting, and, in 
1777, a selectman. He appears to have held a military 
commission as captain. His Hopkinton home was on 
Dimond's hill. 

Captain Chase married Sarah Stickney, of Concord, who 
died March 10, 1812, aged 74. Captain Chase died Febru- 
ary 6, 1815, aged 83. 

Bartjch Chase, probably the first lawyer in Hopkinton, 
is said to have been a native of Cornish. As an attorney, 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 329 

he is said to have stood at the head of the bar in Hillsbor- 
ough county. He was county solicitor from 1808 to 1817. 
While he was in Hopkinton, his office was in the building 
now used as the post-office. He built the house now occu- 
pied by Mrs. Louisa A. P. Stanwood. 

Baruch Chase married Ellen Wiggin, daughter of Ben- 
jamin Wiggin and Elizabeth Clement, of Hopkinton. They 
had children, — Samuel G. and Benjamin Wiggin. 

Baruch Chase died March 5,1841, aged 77; his wife, 
March 17, 1868, aged 92. 

Benjamin Wiggin Chase, the son of Baruch Chase 
and Ellen Wiggin, was born in Hopkinton, in 1796. He 
was educated in Hartford, Ct., and became a merchant. 
He resided at Philadelphia, then in England, subsequently 
in Boston, Mass., afterwards in Taunton, Mass., again in 
Boston, and lastly in Philadelphia, where he died on the 
6th of January, 1878. 

In 1828, Mr. Chase married Ann Williams, daughter of 
William Williams and Mary Ripley, of Liverpool, Eng. 
They had six children, — three sons and three daughters. 

Mrs. Chase died December 21, 1889. 

Horace Chase, a native of Unity, was born December 
14, 1788. He graduated at Dartmouth college in 1814. 
The same year he came to Hopkinton and entered the law 
office of Matthew Harvey. Finishing his studies, he 
opened an office in Goshen in 1818. Returning to Hopkin- 
ton in 1821, he entered into a law partnership with Mat- 
thew Harvey. Horace Chase was frequently the incum- 
bent of minor and major civil offices. In 1837 and 1842, he 
was moderator of town-meeting ; in 1824 and 1825, and 
again from 1829 to 1835. he was town-clerk; from 1826 to 
1835, he was town treasurer ; in 1829, a representative to 
the General Court ; from 1830 to 1832, he was assistant 
clerk of the house of representatives ; from 1829 to 1850, 
he was post-master ; from 1843 to 1855, he was judge of 
probate for Merrimack county, publishing in 1845 the Pro- 
bate Directory. 

Horace Chase held a prominent position in Masonry, be- 
ing made a Master Mason in 1815, a Royal Arch Mason in 
1817, and a Knight Templar in 1826. He was Grand Re- 
corder of the Grand Commanderv from 1860 to 1870. He 



330 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

compiled and published the records of the Grand Lodge 
from 1789 to 1856. 

In 1818, December 24, Horace Chase married Betsey 
Blanchard, daughter of Stephen Blanchard and Betsey 
Estabrooks, of Hopkinton, by whom he had four children, — 
Mary Elizabeth, Samuel Blanchard, Horace Gair, and 
Charles Carroll. Mrs. Chase died June 28, 1843, and on 
June 5, 1844, Judge Chase married Lucy Blanchard, her 
sister, who died December 22, 1848. In 1849, November 
15, Judge Chase matried Ruhama Clarke, widow of Daniel 
W. Clarke, of Manchester, and a daughter of Joseph Coch- 
ran and Anna Wilson, of New Boston, who now resides in 
Hopkinton. 

Judge Chase died March 1, 1875, and, on the 6th his 
funeral occurred in St. Andrew's Episcopal church, the 
Rev. Henry A. Coit, D. D., and the Rev. Hall Harrison 
officiating. There was a large attendance of Knights 
Templar and Masons of different degrees, with numerous 
citizens. 

Horace Gair Chase, the son of Horace Chase and 
Betsey Blanchard, was born in Hopkinton, July 9, 1827. 
He was educated at Hopkinton academy. At the age of 16 
he went to Boston, Mass., where he remained two years, 
and then returned to Hopkinton, where he resided till 1852. 
Since 1852, he has resided in Chicago, 111., 23 years; in 
New London, Ct., 4 years ; in New Haven, Ct., 7 years ; 
and at present he is a resident of Chicago. Mr. Chase is a 
conveyancer and real estate broker. A gentleman of wealth, 
his social habits are liberal. In 1888 and 1889, he erected 
his present summer cottage in Hopkinton village. 

In 1860, June 14, Mr. Chase married Ellen Marian Sher- 
win, daughter of Myron Sherwin and Ellen Rickards, of 
Chicago. They have children, — Samuel Myron, Bessie 
Louise Blanchard, Lucy Blanchard, Horace Stanley. 

Moses B. Chase, the first rector of St. Andrew's Epis- 
copal church, Hopkinton, was born in Salisbury, Mass., 
January 12, 1793, being a son of Capt. Bailey Chase and 
Hannah Follansbee. His father was of maritime pursuits, 
and moved his family to Newburyport when Moses B. was 
a child, and where the son remained till he entered Bow- 
doin college, Me., in 1811. A condition of ill-health pre- 




Horace G. Chase. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 331 

vented a completion of the college course, and } T oung Chase 
eventually went to Norfolk, Va., and entered the counting- 
room of a merchant, taking up, while thus situated, the 
study of theology, having become a member of the Episco- 
pal church at Newburyport. While yet a student, he re- 
ceived an appointment as acting chaplain in the United 
States navy. A part of a naval chaplain's duty in those 
times being to teach, Mr. Chase became the tutor of acting 
midshipman, afterwards Admiral, Farragut, at the time 
only ten years of age. 

While acting chaplain, Mr. Chase made a cruise to South 
America, and, on his return, was ordained at Richmond, 
Va., by Bishop Moore, and settled in Accomac county, the 
time being not far from 1818. In 1826, in consequence of 
an enforced change of climate, Rev. Mr. Chase having 
returned to New England, settled in Hopkinton, N. H., 
over Christ's church, which worshipped in the county court- 
house. In 1827, in consequence of the Rev. Mr. Chase's 
energy, a new ecclesiastical organization was formed and 
incorporated as St. Andrew's church, a new church edifice 
being constructed the same year. 

The Rev. Mr. Chase continued to reside in Hopkinton 
till 1841. Receiving an appointment as chaplain, he reen- 
tered the service of the United States, and was ordered to 
sea in the sloop of war John Adams. Sailing from Boston, 
the John Adams went to South America, where certain in- 
terests of the United States government were guarded, and 
thence sailed to the eastern coast of Africa, to bring home 
the officers and crew of the wrecked sloop of war Concord. 
Returning home in 1847, the subject of this sketch resided 
at Cambridge, Mass., till his death, October 21, 1875. 

Rev. Moses B. Chase married Sarah Curtis Joynes, 
daughter of Col. Levin Joynes and Anne Smith, of Acco- 
mac, April 3, 1824. They had six children, — Juliana Lowe, 
Philander, James Morse, Reginald Heber, Virginia Moore, 
Sarah Joynes. 

Mrs. Chase died October 8, 1872. 

James Morse Chase, the son of Moses B. Chase and 
Sarah Custis Joynes, was born in Hopkinton, December 7, 
1829. He graduated with honors from Harvard University 
in 1850, received from his Alma Mater the degree of A. M. 
in 1853, became a student in the law office of Daniel Web- 



332 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ster, and graduated at the Harvard Law School in 1856. 
With Edward Banfield, he entered the practice of law in 
Boston under the firm name of Chase & Banfield. He was 
for a number of years a member of the city council of Cam- 
hridge and clerk of that body. Upon the event of the civil 
war, he was mustered into the United States service as 
captain of Company D, Seventh Regiment New Hampshire 
Volunteers, and mustered out by reason of expiration of his 
term of service December 22, 1864, at Chapin's Farm, Vir- 
ginia. He was in the charge at Fort Wagner, South Caro- 
lina, July 11, 1863, when his colonel, the gallant Putnam, 
was killed. He was wounded in the engagement at Ches- 
ter Station, Va., June 6, 1864. After leaving the service, 
he settled in Philadelphia, where he was afterwards busily 
occupied as tutor and teacher. He was a member of the 
Harvard Alumni Association of Philadelphia and of the 
University Club. 

In 1861, October 30, James M. Chase married Sarah Hall 
Tyler, daughter of Dr. Cyril C. Tyler and Sarah Putnam, 
of Hopkinton, by whom he had five children, — Philip Put- 
nam, Harry Curtis, Reginald Banfield, Virginia Bailey, and 
Agnes Follansbee. 

Captain Chase died in Germantown, Pa., March 14, 1889, 
and his remains were interred in Hopkinton in the old vil- 
lage cemetery. His funeral occurred in St. Andrew's 
Episcopal church, a delegation of Colonel Putnam Post, 
G. A. R., being in attendance. 

Reginald Heber Chase, the son of Rev. Moses Bailey 
Chase and Sarah Curtis Joynes, was born in Hopkinton, 
March 25, 1832. He was educated at Hopkinton academy, 
Cambridge (Mass.) high school, and Harvard University, 
where he graduated in 1852, being made Master of Arts in 
1855. He resided in Cambridge from 1844 to 1859, and in 
Philadelphia, Pa., from 1859 to 1885. Mr. Chase devoted 
his life to teaching, and was many years principal of the 
Collegiate School, Philadelphia. 

In 1859, May 31, Mr. Chase married Susan Ladd Stan- 
wood, daughter of Joseph Stanwood and Louisa Ayer Per- 
kins, of Hopkinton. They had three children, — Joseph 
Stanwood, Levin Joynes, Philanda. 

Mr. Chase died January 11, 1885, in Philadelphia, and 
his remains were interred in Hopkinton. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 333 

Carlton Chase, Protestant Episcopal bishop of the 
diocese of New Hampshire, was born in Hopkinton, Janu- 
ary 20, 1794. He was a son of Charles Chase and Sarah 
Currier. He finished preparation for college at Salisbury 
academy in 1813. In 1817, he graduated from Dartmouth 
college. While in college he became an Episcopalian. 
After leaving college, he studied theology with Bishop 
Griswold, of Rhode Island. In 1818, he was ordained a 
deacon at Bristol, and in 1820 a priest at Newport. He be- 
came the minister of Immanuel church, Bellows Falls, Vt., 
where he remained about a quarter of a century. In 1839, 
he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the Uni- 
versity of Vermont. Subsequently, he was admitted ad 
eundem at Bishop's college, Lenoxville, Canada. In Octo- 
ber, 1843, he was chosen Bishop of New Hampshire, being 
consecrated in Philadelphia, Pa., in October, 1844. His 
Episcopal residence was at Claremont, where he became 
rector of Trinity church. Bishop Chase died January 18, 
1870. 

In 1820, September 13, Carlton Chase married Harriet, 
daughter of Dr. Samuel Cutler, of Bellows Falls, Vt. They 
had eight children, as follows : Eleanor C, born September 
9, 1821 ; Frederick Carlton, born May 28, 1823 ; Francis, 
born January 7, 1828 ; Alice, born July 25, 1829 ; Francis, 
born September 8, 1831 ; Sarah Jennett, born October 17, 
1833; Arthur, born October 21, 1835; Harriet, born Sep- 
tember 3, 1842. 

Enoch Chase, the son of John Chase, was born in Port- 
land, Me., about the year 1775. He came to Hopkinton 
when about eight years old. In manhood, he became a 
farmer. He was collector of taxes in Hopkinton from 
1818 to 1820, and again in 1824 ; he was a selectman from. 
1820 to 1823. 

Mr. Chase married Mary Morse, of Newbury, Mass.. 
They had children,— Charlotte, born December 30, 1797 ; 
Enoch, Jr., born June 25, 1801; Daniel D., born Jane 6 V 
1803; Thomas, born May 12, 1805; Hannah, born August 
15, 1806; Abner, born April 24, 1808; Ambrose, born Feb- 
ruary 26, 1810 ; Jacob, born October 6, 1811 ; Elbridge G., 
born July 16, 1813; Sally, born June 2, 1816. 

Enoch J. Chase, the son of Enoch Chase and Mary 
Morse, was born in Hopkinton, June 25, 1801. He was- a 



334 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

farmer and lumberman, and lived many years in the Black- 
water district, where his son, Harvey Chase, now lives. He 
also lived a number of years in Concord, and for a time in 
Wilmot. He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1843, 1853, 
and 1854 ; representative, in 1862 and 1863. 

Enoch J. Chase was twice married. His first wife was 
Sarah H. Holmes, daughter of Dr. Joshua Holmes, of Tren- 
ton, N. Y. His second wife was Nancy Johnson, of Salis- 
bury. 

By his first wife, Mr. Chase had children, — Lucinda H., 
born May 27, 1824; Horace J., born October 11, 1825; 
Mary Jane, born June 17, 1827; Harvey, born April 3, 
1829; by his second, — Nancy A., born September 18, 1836; 
George W., born August 18, 1837 ; Malinda B., born Oc- 
tober 22, 1840. 

Enoch J. Chase died October 17, 1879 ; his second wife, 
October 28, 1874. 

Horace J. Chase, the son of Enoch J. Chase and Sarah 
H. Holmes, was born in Hopkinton, October 11, 1825. He 
has always resided in Hopkinton ; he is a tanner and cur- 
rier, operating since 1852 at his present place of business. 
In 1886, Mr. Chase was a selectman of Hopkinton. 

In 1850, January 8, Mr. Chase married Mary Ann Dodge, 
daughter of Stillman Dodge and Sarah Highland, of Hop- 
kinton. They have had children, — Frank S., Edward E., 
Horace S., Willard H., Arthur D. 

Horace Sumner Chase, the son of Horace J. Chase 
and Mary Ann Dodge, was born in Hopkinton, August 24, 
1857. He was educated at New London academy and Acadia 
college, Nova Scotia. In 1880, he started the Hopkinton 
Times, which was consolidated with the Kearsarge Indepen- 
dent, of Warner, in 1885. In July, 1886, he opened the 
Highland House, Contoocook, which he now conducts. 

In 1880, December 23, Mr. Chase married Lillian Flor- 
ence Spaulding, daughter of Dustin A. Spaulding and Sa- 
mantha Putney, of Hopkinton. They have one daughter, — 
Florence N. 

Harvey Chase, the son of Enoch J. Chase and Sarah 
H. Holmes, was born in Hopkinton, April 3, 1829. With 
the exception of nine years in Concord and two in Chiches- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 335 

ter, he has always lived in Hopkinton. He is a farmer and 
lumber dealer. In 1852 and 1853, he was a selectman of 
Concord, and in 1854, a councilman. In 1879, he was a 
representative of Hopkinton. 

In 1853, March 17, Mr. Chase married Martha R. Ben- 
nett, daughter of Charles Bennett and Olive E. Crockett, of 
Concord. They have had children, — Mary Jane, Georgia 
Percis, Fred Harvey, Mattie Olive. 

Thomas Chase, the son of Enoch Chase and Mary 
Morse, was born in Hopkinton, May 12, 1805. A farmer 
and hotel keeper by occupation, he lived in Warner twenty 
years ; in Penacook, three years ; Troy, N. Y., one year ; 
and has resided many years in Contoocook and vicinity, his 
present home being with his son-in-law, William E. Mud- 
gett. Mr. Chase kept the Central House in Contoocook for 
a time. He was collector of taxes in Hopkinton from 1869 
to 1871. 

Thomas Chase married Mary L. Pierson, daughter of 
Samuel Pierson and Hannah Clough, of Hopkinton. The 
following are the names of their children : Laura P., Mary, 
Otis, Maria, Juliette, Salome. 

Orrin Chase, the son of Reuben K. Chase and Betsey 
B. Rion, was born in Hopkinton, March 22, 1843, and has 
always lived in this town, his home being in Contoocook. 
He is a laborer upon the railroad. During the late war, he 
served in Company D, 16th Regiment N. H. V., being mus- 
tered in October 24, 1862, and mustered out August 20, 
1863. 

In 1870, September 3, Mr. Chase married Hattie M. Bad- 
ger, daughter of E. Sargent Badger and Emily Foster, of 
Warner. They have children, — Fred J., Harry A., Lena 
M., Walter B. 

George Choat, the son of John T. Choat and Hannah 
Pearson, was born in Hopkinton, January 5, 1799. His 
father was born in Newburyport, Mass., July 11, 1768, and 
had fourteen children. His grandfather was Isaac Choat, 
born in England. The subject of this sketch was a mason, 
blacksmith, and farmer, who lived some time in Henniker, 
Hillsborough, and Andover, Mass., and many years in Hop- 
kinton. He was a militia major two years, but was best 



336 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

known as a military musician, his skill upon the fife making 
him locally famous. In company with Jonah Campbell, a 
famous drummer, he performed at festivals long after the 
abolition of the old militia system. 

Mr. Choat married Betsey Davis, daughter of Abram 
Davis and Priscilla Currier, of Hopkinton. 

They had two children, — Horace L. and Lizzie A. 

Mr. Choat died September 13, 1888 ; his wife, February 
8,1880. 

Horace L. Choat, the son of George Choat and Betsey 
Davis, was born in Henniker, April 20, 1833. He has lived 
in Henniker three years, in Concord about four and one 
half years, in Manchester one year, and the rest of his life 
in Hopkinton. By vocation he is a farmer, and he lives on 
the spot where his father lived many years, in Stumpfield. 
In 1886, he was a selectman. 

In 1863, December 10, Mr. Choat married Mary E. Meath, 
daughter of Christopher Meath and Sarah Carr, of Man- 
chester. She having died, November 1, 1882, Mr. Choat 
married Frances E. Ford, daughter of Cyrus Ford and Han- 
nah H. Rand, of Boston, Mass., December 10, 1883. 



SECTION VII. 

CLARK — CONNOR. 

Jacob Knight Clark, the son of Jacob Clark and Bet- 
sey Huse, was born in Hopkinton, April 4, 1812. Except- 
ing six years in Weare, the subject of this sketch has always 
lived in Hopkinton. His home is in the Hatfield district, 
where his grandfather, Jacob Clark, from Newbury, Mass., 
settled. His father, Jacob Clark, Jr., died at 46, and 
weighed 400 pounds. Jacob K. Clark is a farmer, but has 
been officially prominent in various ways. In 1830, he was 
commissioned ensign of the Hopkinton Rifles ; in 1831, 
lieutenant; in 1834, captain. From 1848 to 1850, he was a 
selectman ; in 1854, an assessor or appraiser ; in 1851 and 
1853, a representative to the General Court. 

In 1835, July 19, Captain Clark married Mary Straw,, 




Horace L. Choat. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 337 

daughter of Samuel Straw and Betsey Burbank, of Weare. 
They had three children, — Helen M., Warren, Ellen T. 

Mrs. Clark died December 27, 1873. 

With Moses Hoyt, Captain Clark enjoys the distinction of 
being the first to employ a machine to thresh his grain. 
The machine was owned by James Colby. The popular 
prejudice against the innovation was arrested by Hoyt's and 
Clark's encouragement of its use. Experience showed that 
it did n't spoil the grain or set the barn on fire, and at length 
it became a main reliance of all the leading farmers. 

Warren Clarke, the son of Jacob K. Clarke and Mary 
Straw, was born in Hopkintou, March 29, 1837. He was 
educated at Hopkiuton academy and at Norwich (Vt.) 
University, where he graduated in 1857. being the same 
year lieutenant of the Norwich Cadets. During six months 
of 1858, he taught military science and mathematics at 
Mount Pleasant academy, Sing Sing, N. Y., and the same 
for the same length of time at Randall's School for Boys, 
Bloomfield, N. J., in 1859. Devoting his attention to the 
law, he studied with George & Foster, of Concord, and was 
admitted to the bar in 1862. 

Mr. Clarke's home was in Hopkinton till 1863; in Henni- 
ker, till 1870; since 1870, in Concord. In 1862 and 1863, 
he was moderator of Hopkinton town-meeting; from 1861 
to 1862, superintending school-committee ; three or four 
years superintending school-committee of Henniker; from 
1874 to 1876, judge of probate of Merrimack county; much 
or all of the time, since 1875, connected with the school- 
board of Concord ; since 1888, post-master of Concord. 

Mr. Clarke married Fannie S. Otis, daughter of Alfred 
Otis and Sophia Worthington, of Colchester, Ct. 

John Clement, the first physician in Hopkinton, came 
to this town from the vicinity of Haverhill, Mass. The 
site of his first home is on Putney's hill, a few rods south of 
the old cemetery, on the opposite side of the road. It is 
indicated by a slight depression and a quantity of stones. 
In the course of time, Dr. Clement, in company with a son, 
built a large, two-storied farm-house on the road leading 
from Gage's hill to West Hopkinton, a little north-west of 
his first residence. This house was taken down years ago. 
Dr. Clement seems to have been a popular physician, as his 
21 



338 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

practice extended to as many as fourteen towns. He is said 
to have been socially genial and mirthful. 

His wife, Molly, was probably from Salisbury, Mass. 
They had sons, — John, Timothy, Phineas, Benjamin, James ; 
and daughters, — Ruth, Polly, Sally, Betsey. 

Dr. Clement died November 20, 1804, aged 61 ; his wife, 
February 12, 1817, aged 72. Their remains lie in the Put- 
ney's Hill cemetery. 

Phineas Clough, the son of James and Ruth Clough, 
was born July 28, 1783, in Hopkinton, where he resided till 
his death. He lived many years where his grandson, M. 
Tenny Clough, now resides. In early life, he learned the 
trade of a carpenter, but spent most of his life on the farm. 
He was much occupied in public affairs, and was often called 
to settle estates or assume the guardianship of minor chil- 
dren. He was also a surveyor of land. In 1829 and 1830, 
Mr. Clough was a representative to the General Court ; from 
1823 to 1825, and again in 1835 and 1836, he was a select- 
man ; in 1850, a member of the state constitutional conven- 
tion. 

In 1811, February 3, Phineas Clough married Judith 
Currier, daughter of Daniel and Abigail Currier, of Warner. 
They had children, — Willard, Moses T., Daniel C, Maria J., 
Stephen. 

Phineas Clough died July 12, 1866 ; his wife, September 
3,1868. 

Moses Tenny Clough, the son of Phineas Clough and 
Judith Currier, was born in Hopkinton, November 22, 1814. 
In early life, he attended the school of Master John O. Bal- 
lard, but on the opening of Hopkinton academy he im- 
proved the opportunities of that institution. In 1830, he 
entered Dartmouth college, graduating in 1834. Seeking a 
knowledge of law, he entered the office of Eliphalet Pear- 
son, at Ticonderoga, N. Y., and subsequently that of James 
J. Stevens, of Albany, N. Y. Being admitted to the bar in 
1838, he located in Ticonderoga, where he resided till 1857, 
and then moved to Troy, N. Y., his present place of resi- 
dence. 

Mr. Clough has been supervisor of Ticonderoga one year, 
assessor one year, post-master from 1845 to 1849, supreme 
court commissioner four years, master in chancery five years, 




Moses Tenney Clough. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 339 

and district-attorney of Essex county. New York, from Sep- 
tember, ISM, to January, 1851. In 1847, when the office of 
district-attorney became elective in New York, Mr. Clough, 
though :i Democrat in politics, was chosen in a county 
Strongly in the majority of his political opponents. In 1851, 
he refused a renomination. He was at one time a director 
of the Commercial Bank, at Whitehall, N. Y. 

William Clough, Erom whom Cloughville receives its 
Dame, was a native of Hopkinton. He once lived near or 
on Mt. Kearsarge, where he owned 1,600 acres of land. He 
was a bridge-builder, who is said to have constructed a num- 
ber of bridges across the Contoocook river. Pie was also a 
farmer. 

He married Mary Couch, daughter of Benjamin Couch, 
of Boscawen. Her mother's maiden name was Heath. 
William Clough had children, — Rachel, -lames Stark, Phin- 
eas, Benjamin C, William, Charles K. 

Phinkas Clough, the son of William Clough and Mary 
Couch, was born in Hopkinton, February 18, 1811, and has 
lived most of his life in this town. He is a farmer and car- 
penter. He has shown an aptitude for compounding reme- 
dies, some of which have secured more or less local reputa- 
tion. He is popularly known as Dr. Clough. He has been 
many years a, justice of the peace. 

Dr. Clough married Abigail Beck, the daughter of Clem- 
ent Beck, of Hopkinton ; he has two daughters living, — Vic- 
toria, .Jenny Lind. 

Benjamin C. Clough, the son of William Clough and 
Mary Couch, was born in Hopkinton, February 20, L815, 

and has always lived in this town. He is a farmer, and one 
of the wealthiest of his class. He has never married. 

Charles P. Clough, the son of William Clough and 
Mary Couch, was born in Hopkinton, November 9, 1821, 
and has always lived in this town. He is a farmer and 
mechanic. In militia days, he was a staff-officer of the 40th 
Regiment, being commissioned a major in 1849, and a 
lieutenant-colonel in 1850. 

Charles F. Clough married Mary J. Hardy, daughter of 
Joseph Hardy and Eliza Chase, of Warner. They had 



340 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKTNTON. 

children, — Joseph S., Sylvia E., Mary E., Maria R., Flora 
E., Charles E., Nancy E., Josie E. 

Mrs. Clongh died nearly eighteen years ago. 

Gilman Clough, the son of David Clough and Hannah 
Winslow, was born in Bow, October 26, 1801. In 1818, he 
came to Hopkinton. He attended the school of Master 
John O. Ballard, and at length became a teacher of com- 
mon schools. He taught numerous terms in Contoocook 
and other parts of the town. He was also a cooper. He 
continued to reside in Hopkinton till his death, February 
23, 1889. 

In 1822, November 28, Mr. Clough married Melinda 
French Bickford, daughter of Samuel Bickford and Ruth 
Howe, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Henrietta 
Adelia, born June 24, 1824 ; Alfred Winslow, born April 
10, 1829 ; Horatio Edson, born March 15, 1835 ; Fitz Edgar, 
born January 15, 1839. 

Gilman Clough married a second wife September 7, 1857 ; 
she was Mrs. Elvira Wallingforcl (Hildreth) Silver. 

Moses Colby, the son of James Bryant Colby and Su- 
sanna Story, was born in New London, December 31, 1796. 
In February, 1797, his father moving to Hopkinton, Moses 
was brought in his mother's arms, riding on an ox-sled, to 
the homestead of his grandfather, Anthony Colby, the spot 
where now lives Melvin Colby, on Beech hill. Moses Colby 
was a farmer, who had considerable local prominence. He 
was a captain of militia. In 1844, he was chosen a repre- 
sentative to the General Court, in opposition to the railroad 
interest in the controversy then prevailing. 

In 1820, December 28, he married Elsie Abbott, daughter 
of Moses Abbott and Mary Batchelder, of Concord. They 
had children, — John Gilman, born November 21, 1821 ; 
Mary Eliza, born June 30, 1823 ; George Herrick, born 
June 22. 1825 ; Melvin, born June 20, 1828; Sewell Gage, 
born April 17, 1835. 

Moses Colby died January 28, 1876 ; his wife, December 
3, 1882. 

Anthony Colby, the grandfather of Moses, is said to have 
been .the thirteenth settler in Hopkinton, coming from the 
vicinity of Newbury, Mass. He was the grandfather of 
Gov. Anthony Colby, of New London. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 341 

Melvin Colby, the son of Moses Colby and Elsie Ab- 
bott, was born in Hopkinton, June 20, 1828, and has alwa}'s 
resided on the Anthony Colby homestead in this town. He 
is a farmer and painter. He has frequently been prominent 
as a musician. He has served as leader of the Congrega- 
tional Church choir, and was leader of the Hopkinton Cor- 
net Band at its organization in 1859. 

In 1852, September 8, he married Hannah Paige Ed- 
munds, daughter of Horace Edmunds and Bridget Whipple 
Cilley, of Hopkinton. They have had children, — Ellen 
Hazeltine and Helen Hamilton (twins), Sarah Belle, Charles 
Carroll, Melvin Crawford, Hannah Paige, Fred Harvey, 
Arthur Putnam, Mary Atkins, Melvin Forrest. 

Isaac Colby, a former physician of Hopkinton, is said 
to have come here from Bradford, about 1825, and, about 
1849, to have gone to Salem, Mass. He afterwards returned 
to Concord, where he died. While in Hopkinton, he practised 
allopathy ; subsequently, he adopted homoeopathy. He did 
much to improve the appearance of Hopkinton village, 
being specially instrumental in setting the present row of 
elms within the Main street and running from the town- 
house to the Baptist church. 

Dr. Colby married Abigail Chase, sister of the late Hon. 
Salmon P. Chase. They had a number of children that 
died young. 

William Colby, the son of William Colby and Mary 
Darling Hildreth, was born in Hopkinton, November 30, 
1809. His father lived on Beech hill, on the westerly slope, 
where now live Messrs. Waldron and Gleason. William 
Colby, being born in the old militia days, was in child- 
hood and youth subject to all the exciting influences to 
which the younger generation of his time paid specially 
enthusiastic attention. Young Colby doubtless was unusu- 
ally impressed by the frequent display of soldiery of his 
early years. Becoming of military age, and legally compe- 
tent to train, he rose to be one of the most notable martial 
characters of his native town. He was at one time captain 
of the Hopkinton Rifles, and afterwards commander of the 
Coldwater Phalanx, both military companies independently 
organized and thoroughly uniformed. He was also once 
colonel of the 40th Regiment of New Hampshire militia. 



342 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Colonel Colby was also one of the original Amoskeag Vet- 
erans. He was a very efficient officer of drill, perhaps the 
best the town ever raised. When the arrangements were 
made for an old-fashioned training on the Fourth of 
July, 1881, Col. William Colby was selected commander of 
the day, and upon the attempted assassination of the Presi- 
dent, the proposed training being suspended, he was chosen 
one of a committee of citizens to arrange for observances 
in accordance with the ultimate facts in the president's 
case. During most of Colonel Colby's life, he was a Hop- 
kin ton farmer. He was once master of a river boat plying 
in the carrying trade between Concord and Boston before 
the time of railroads, and when canals were in operation in 
this state and Massachusetts, and later a freight conductor 
on the Boston & Providence Railroad. He was at one 
time a steward in the asylum for the insane at Concord, and 
for a number of years deputy sheriff of Merrimack county. 
He was twice doorkeeper of the state senate. 

In 1837, July 9, William Colby married Eliza Barret, 
daughter of Eleazer Barret and Olive Emerson, of Nashua. 
They had no children. 

Residing in Hopkinton many years previously to his 
death, Colonel Colby eventually moved from Beech hill to 
the village, where his widow now resides, and where he 
died September 4, 1881. His funeral occurred on the sixth 
day of the month, being remarkable on account of its simi- 
larity to the dark day of May 19, 1780. He was buried 
from St. Andrew's Episcopal church, which was lighted for 
the funeral service. 

Edwin S. Colder, the present pastor of the M. E. church 
in Contoocook, was born in Northfield, Mass., April 27, 
1859, being a son of Aaron Coller and Mary E. Gilford. 
Since the age of eleven years, he has resided in Greenfield 
and Athol, Mass., Woonsocket, R. I., Brockton, Mass., 
Peterborough and South Acworth, N. H. The present is 
his second year at Contoocook. 

In 1887, November 24, Mr. Coller married Hattie B. 
Wardwell, daughter of Oliver N. Wardwell and Augusta 
M. Wilson, of Jamaica, Vt. One child, Ethel C, is the 
offspring of this union. 

David O. Collins, son of Timothy Collins and Jane 
Osgood, was born in South Hampton, May 28, 1805. 



PEE SON AL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 343 

While the subject of this sketch was an infant, his father 
moved his family to Amesbury, Mass., where David O. re- 
sided till he attained to manhood. In his earlier life, David 
O. Collins worked in the woollen manufactories of Salisbury 
and Amesbury, but, having aspirations toward the medical 
profession, he at length entered the office of Dr. Towle, an 
allopathic physician of Amesbury, and pursued study until 
he attained a proficiency equal to that of most of the young 
practitioners of his time. Then he became interested in 
the system of Dr. Samuel Thompson, whose practice was 
highly favored by many people at that time, and adopted 
it. In the year 1842, he opened an office in Manchester, 
in partnership with Dr. John Russel. Subsequently 
he practised in company with Dr. J. M. Hawks, now of 
Florida, and to whom he sold out his interest in 1849 and 
moved to Hopkinton village. His patronage becoming lo- 
cated more in that direction, he soon moved to Contoocook, 
where he continued in active practice till age and failing 
health prevented him. In the year 1879, he moved to 
Providence, R. I„ where he now resides with his only son 
and living child. 

Dr. Collins has been three times married. His first wife 
was Nancy S. Crown, whom he married in February, 1826. 
She was a daughter of Joseph Crown and Hannah Worthen, 
of Amesbury. She died August 2, 1834. Three daughters 
were the result of this union. Their names were Nancy 
J., Nancy C, and Mary J. 

The second wife of Dr. Collins was Achsah A. Moores, 
of Deerfield, N. H., whom he married October 2, 1835. She 
was a daughter of John Moores and Hannah Dearborn. 
She died September 7, 1864, leaving a son, David S. 

For a third wife, Dr. Collins married Susan E. Smith, 
daughter of Bimsley Smith and Mary Hinsman, of Ipswich, 
Mass. She died September 26, 1879. 

Chaeles J. Connee, the son of Samuel Conner and 
Mary Creighton, was born in Saubornton, April 22, 1816. 
In early life, he attended school at Exeter. He lived in 
Sanbornton forty years, in Concord twenty-five, and has 
since resided in Hopkinton. He is a merchant by calling. 
He was fifteen years a deputy sheriff in Belknap and Mer- 
rimack counties, and two years a collector of taxes in San- 
borntou. Mr. Conner is a lineal descendant of Dr. James 
O'Connor, a surgeon of the Revolutionary army. 



844 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In 1838, September 5, he married Mahala Ingalls, daugh- 
ter of Jesse Ingalls and Hannah Chase, of Sanborn ton. 
They had children, — Estelle P., Vianna A., Jerome B. 

James M. Connor, the son of James Connor and Lydia 
Kimball, was born in Henniker, August 21, 1828. When 
about three years old, he came to Hopkinton, where he has 
since resided. He is an enterprising and prosperous farmer. 
In 1864 and 1865, the subject of this sketch was a select- 
man of the town. In 1886, he was a candidate of the Dem- 
ocratic party for state senator. Mr. Connor is a frequent 
contributor to agricultural papers. He was the originator 
of the Granite State Dairyman's Association, and has been 
its president since its organization. He is a prominent 
member of the order of Patrons of Husbandry ; has been 
master of the county Pomona Grange, and an official of the 
State Grange. He is one of the trustees of the New Hamp- 
shire Patrons' Fire Insurance Company. He was two years 
the president of the Kearsarge Agricultural and Mechanical 
Association. 

In 1859, December 20, Mr. Connor married Judith M. 
Putney, daughter of Ira A. Putney and Hannah Muzzy, of 
Hopkinton. They had children, — Maria P., Carrie J., 
Charles H., and Grace E. 

Mrs. Connor died May 9, 1877, and on September 6, 
1881, Mr. Connor married Catharine S. (Hoyt) Watson, 
daughter of Joseph G. Hoyt and Catharine C. Parmelee, of 
Warner. 



SECTION VIII. 

COPPS — CUTLER. 

Moses Copps, the son of John Copps and Sarah Pollard, 
was born in Plaistow, November 6, 1777. In the course of 
his life, he resided in Portsmouth, Haverhill, Mass., and 
Hopkinton, where he died in March, 1863. He was a shoe- 
maker and farmer. He was a deputy sheriff of Plaistow, a 
selectman, and a lieutenant of militia. 

In 1804, October 2, Moses Copps married Mary George, 
daughter of Maj. Amos George and Sarah Greene, of Haver- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 345 

hill, Mass. They had children, — Emeline A., Sarah J., 
Abigail, Mary A., Elizabeth, Rufus P., Harriet B., Ellen M., 
Florantha A., Myra F. 

Rufus P. Copps, the son of Moses Copps and Mary 
George, was born in Plaistow, January 13, 1818. At two 
years of age he moved to Haverhill, Mass. ; he then spent 
a year in Dumbarton ; he next moved to Hopkinton, where 
he has resided since, excepting two years in Amesbury, 
Mass., and Bethlehem, N. Y. He was educated at Hopkin- 
ton academy, and is a school-teacher and farmer by calling. 
His present home is at West Hopkinton, on " Silver Farm," 
where he devotes himself exclusively to agricultural pur- 
suits. Mr. Copps has had repeated civil promotions. He 
was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1856, 1857, and 1858. He 
was representative to the General Court in 1862 and 1863. 
In military life, he has been distinguished. He was made 
adjutant of the 40th Regiment of New Hampshire militia 
in 1845; major, in 1846; lieutenant-colonel, in 1847; col- 
onel, in 1848. 

In 1843, September, Rufus P. Copps married Melissa 
Flanders, daughter of Nathaniel Flanders and Betsey 
Wright, of Hopkinton. 

Eben Corliss, one of the oldest citizens of this town, 
was born in Alexandria, April 14, 1800, being a son of 
George and Sarah Corliss. He is a cooper and farmer. In 
militia days he was a drummer. In the course of his life 
he has lived in Grafton, Bristol, Boscawen, and Concord. 
He has lived in Hopkinton since 1858. Of late years he 
has lived with his son, Elbridge G., in Contoocook. 

Eben Corliss married Sarah Ladd, of Alexandria. Be- 
sides two children dying in infancy, they had daughters, — 
Anna and Nancy; and sons, — Elbridge G., Charles H., 
and James. 

Jacob Cram, M. A., son of Col. Jonathan and Mary 
(Cram) Cram, was born October 12, 1762 ; graduated at 
Dartmouth college, 1782; studied for the ministry with 
Rev. Nathaniel Emmons, D. D., of Franklin, Mass. ; or- 
dained pastor at Hopkinton, February 25, 1789; dismissed 
January 6, 1792 ; became a missionary to the Stockbridge 
(Mass.) Indians, and others in New York; afterwards re- 



346 LIFE AM) TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

moved to Exeter, N. H., and died there December 21, 1853, 
He married Mary, daughter of General Poor, of the Revo- 
lutionary army, at Exeter, September 13, 1804. 

Henry Hamdon Crowell, the son of Albert Crowell 
and Lydia Livermore, was born in Hopkinton, July 9, 1834. 
He was educated in the common schools, and became a 
wood and lumber dealer, owning a saw-mill in the Farrington 
district. Mr. Crowell has frequently held offices of trust. 
From 1868 to 1870, and in 1874 and 1875, he was a select- 
man ; in 1876 and 1877, a representative to the General 
Court; from 1878 to 1880, a collector of taxes; in 1870, he 
was made a justice of the peace. From August 27, 1862, 
till the close of the war, he was in the Union army ; he 
served in Company E, 1st Regiment of U. S. Sharpshooters, 
till January 30, 1865, when he was transferred to Company 
H, 5th Regiment N. H. V. 

In 1858, November 30, Mr. Crowell married Lucinda 
Maria Currier, daughter of Benjamin and Martha Currier, 
of Concord. They had four children, — Martha Etta, 
George Henry, Lewis Albert Galen, Frank E. 

Mrs. Crowell having died, Mr. Crowell married for a 
second wife, Melinda J. Burroughs, of Bow. She was the 
daughter of Alfred A. and Maria Burroughs. This mar- 
riage occurred November 15, 1876. A daughter, Lilian 
Livermore, is the offspring of this marriage. 

George E. Crowell, the son of Nathaniel Crowell 
and Esther Stone Day, was born in Manchester, Mass., Sep- 
tember 29, 1834. When but two years old, the subject of 
this sketch came to Concord with his father and remained 
six years ; then, for twenty-four years, he resided in Hop- 
kinton, attending school on Beech hill, where his father 
lived, a portion of the time. He then moved to Brattle- 
borough, Vt., where he took possession of The Household, a 
family periodical, which he now conducts. 

In 1872, March 14, Mr. Crowell married Mary Louisa 
Spencer, of Brattleborough, and the daughter of Elijah 
Spencer and Louisa Metcalf, by whom he has had children, — 
Christie B., Herbert S., Frank J., Esther L., Ralph W. 

John Currier, an early physician of Hopkinton, is said 
to have come here from Newbury, Mass., as early as 1779, 




Dr. Stephen Currier. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 347 

and to have married Sarah Clement on the 19th of March, 
1781. He died in 1808, aged 52. In early life, he solicited 
a surgeon's position of the captain of a privateer designed 
to make reprisals upon the British during the Revolution. 
"What can you do?" asked the captain. "I can cut a 
man's head off and put on a wooden one that 's better than 
yours is," was the answer. " You are just the man I want," 
said the captain. 

Edmund Currier, an early physician of Hopkinton, 
died in 1811, aged about 44. His ancestry belonged in 
Salem. He married Betsey (Stanley) Alcock, daughter of 
Samuel Stanley, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Amos* 
Edmund, David Carlton, Trueworthy Gilman, Ebenezer 
Bronson, Ariel Stillman. Edmund Currier, the son, was a 
clock-maker, and Ebenezer Bronson Currier was a piano- 
maker. 

David C. Currier, the son of Dr. Edmund Currier and 
Betsey (Stanley) Alcock, was born in 1784. He lived 
many years or all of his life in Hopkinton. He was a har- 
ness-maker and farmer. In the War of 1812, he served in 
Capt. Jonathan Bean's company, in Lieut. Col. Nat. Fisk's 
regiment, at Portsmouth, enlisting for a service of ninety 
days from September 11, 1814. 

Mr. Currier married Dolly Campbell, daughter of Phineas 
Campbell, of Henniker. They had children, — Lozaro, Su- 
san V., Laura E., Susan V., Eliza. 

Mr. Currier died October 10, 1864; his wife, November 
2, 1876. 

Lozaro Currier, the son of David Carlton Currier and 
Dolly Campbell, was born in Hopkinton, January 10, 1820, 
and has always resided in Hopkinton. He is a farmer and 
shoemaker. In militia days, he was a martial musician. 

His wife was Anna Anderson, of Hopkinton. Their 
children are, — Ella Anna, Lizzie Deane, Willie Anderson, 
Mary Eliza. 

Stephen Currier, one of the early physicians of Hop- 
kinton, was born in the vicinity of Salisbury, Mass., June 
11, 1775, being a son of John Currier and Sarah Clarke. 
When the subject of this sketch was a mere child, his father 
moved to this town, actually cutting a road through the 



848 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

wilderness in the western part of Hopkinton, to enable him 
to reach his destined location in the present Stumpfield dis- 
trict. Stephen Currier, seeking an education, became the 
pupil of John Osgood Ballard, of Warner, afterwards of 
Hopkinton. He taught school a number of terms in War- 
ner and Hopkinton. Seeking a knowledge of medicine, he 
studied with Dr. Robert Fuller, of Milford. Locating in 
Hopkinton, he became a popular physician with a widely 
extended practice. He was obliged to keep four or five 
horses, and his patronage sometimes came from points as 
far away as Lowell, Mass. In his old age, he received 
patients at his house. His active practice extended over a 
period of more than forty years. Dr. Currier evinced con- 
siderable originality in practice. He concocted a specific, 
the ingredients of which remained a secret with him till 
death. That it bore a reputation we may know from the 
fact that others tried to imitate it. It has been said the late 
Dr. Cyril C. Tyler discovered the nearest approach to the 
original remedy. 

In 1809, March 20, Dr. Currier married Lucy Story, 
daughter of Capt. Thomas Story and Lois Currier, of Hop- 
kinton. They had the following children : Mary, John 
Darwin, Hillard Loveren, George Washington, and Robert 
Barclay. The two younger children are living at present, 
the latter in New York city. 

Dr. Stephen Currier died March 23, 1862 ; his wife, Sep- 
tember 4, 1872. 

The house of Dr. Currier, in Hopkinton village, is now 
occupied by his youngest son, Robert Barclay, as a summer 
residence. The edifice has been much remodelled. 

John Darwin Currier, the son of Dr. Stephen Cur- 
rier and Lucy Story, was born in Hopkinton about the 
year 1810. In early manhood, he devoted himself to mer- 
cantile pursuits, being a merchant's clerk, at first in Hop- 
kinton, afterwards in Salem, Mass. An ill condition of 
health induced him to go to sea, and he went as supercargo 
on several voyages to the west coast of Africa. His first 
voyage was in the brig Sciot. He took out a "protection," 
the record of which is as follows : 

No. 915. John Darwin Currier ; born in Hopkinton, N. H. ; 
Age, 24 ; Height, 5 feet 6£ inches ; Complexion, fair ; Hair, dark. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 349 

The Sciot sailed on the 8th of February, 1835, and on the 
coast of Africa Mr. Currier established a factory at Ara- 
b'rig, in the place of one previously burned, and traded 
principally in ivory. In the course of time, he visited many 
localities on the African coast, bringing home mementos of 
his travels, native gold jewelry, and skins of animals being 
prominent curiosities. The main object of these travels 
seems to have been the establishment of factories or trading 
stations. On one of his return voyages, Mr. Currier, being 
on friendly terms with the African king of the Island of St. 
Thomas, took home the king's son, Jose de Castro by name, 
who, being well pleased with his newly found friends and 
privileges in Hopkinton, returned to St. Thomas and se- 
cured the permission of his father to reside, for the pur- 
pose of an education, in the United States. Dr. Stephen 
Currier assumed guardianship of the lad, and was notified 
of his ward's departure for his new American home. All 
knowledge of the boy ended here. The slave-trade was 
then very active upon the west coast of Africa, and it was 
assumed that' the boy was betrayed and sold into slavery. 

John Darwin Currier suffered extremely in consequence 
of the African climate, which appears to have terminated 
his life. He died on the 14th of June, 1837, on board the 
bark Active, of Salem, while she was cruising near St. 
Thomas. 

George Washington Currier, the son of Dr. Stephen 
Currier and Lucy Story, was born in Hopkinton, February 
28, 1816. In early life, he evinced an aptness for intellect- 
ual pursuits, and became a pupil of Master John O. Ballard, 
and improved the opportunities implied in the existence of 
Hopkinton academy. In early manhood, he taught a 
number of schools, one in Concord, and, being at length 
married, he concluded that his days of teaching were past. 
However, his services were still in demand, and with very 
slight exceptions, he continued a teacher some part of each 
year for a period of about thirty years, being one of the 
most successful instructors in the town. He was also a 
member of the superintending school-committee from 1844 
to 1849. He was also a selectman in 1856 and 1857. 

In 1842, December 14, Mr. Currier married Hannah 
Flanders, daughter of Philip Flanders and Sarah Smith, of 
Hopkinton. They had six children, — Mary Ann, Lucy 



350 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Sarah, John Darwin, Robert Barclay, Katie Eloisa, and 
Hester Eliza. Upon marriage, Mr. Currier located on a 
farm now owned by Horace G. Chase, between Beech and 
Putney's hills, about half a mile from Hopkinton village. 
A few years ago, he moved to his present residence in the 
village. 

Robert Barclay Currier, the son of Dr. Stephen 
Currier and Lucy Story, was born in Hopkinton in 1820. 
In 1839, he went to Methuen, Mass. ; in 1841, to New York 
city, where he now resides. He is a merchant. He has 
been many years a vestryman of the Anthon Memorial 
church in New York city. He has been inspector of the 
Indian department. In June, 1851, he married Eliza Mar- 
garet Winans, daughter of William Wanton Winans, and 
Eliza Rebecca Webb, of New York city. They have chil- 
dren, — Ella Louisa, Florence Josephine. In summer, Mr. 
Currier occupies the remodelled former residence of his 
father, Dr. Currier, in Hopkinton village. 

John Currier, the son of Amos Currier and Mary Sar- 
gent, was born in Hopkinton, August 12, 1802. He always 
lived in Hopkinton, following the occupation of a farmer, 
his home being in the Stumpfield district, where his son, 
John F. Currier, now lives. He was a selectman of Hop- 
kinton in 1844 and 1845. For many years previously to his 
death, he was a deacon of the First Baptist church. 

In 1823, Mr. Currier married Mary Morgan, of Hopkin- 
ton, and the daughter of Nathan Morgan and Mary Emer- 
son. They had children, — Celestia E., Rosetta C, Mary 
L., and John F. 

Dea. John Currier died July 6, 1886 ; his wife, June 18, 
1884. 

John Francis Currier, the son of John Currier and 
Mary Morgan, was born in Hopkinton, November 16, 1839. 
He was educated at Hopkinton academy, and is a farmer 
by occupation, his home being where his father formerly 
resided. In 1874 and 1875, he was a representative to the 
General Court. In 1875, he was chosen an assessor or ap- 
praiser. 

In 1861, April 7, Mr. Currier married Ellen H. Putney, 
of Hopkinton, and a daughter of Ira A. Putney and Han- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 351 

nah Muzzey. They have children, — Mary M., Charles C, 
John, True P. 

Charles C. Currier, the son of Amos Currier and 
Mary Sargent, was born in Hopkinton, February 7, 1805. 
When ten years of age, he was bereaved of his father and 
went to live with his brother-in-law, Jonathan Jones, at 
Kast's hill, at West Hopkinton. In his youth, he enjoyed 
such advantages as then commonly fell to the lot of the 
farmer's boy, but, arrived at manhood, he went to Boston, 
Mass., and worked in a drug store for a Mr. Henshaw. 
This was in 1826. He soon left the drug business, and 
engaged work in a West India goods store, kept by Pierce & 
Goodnow. In the course of about two years, by the assist- 
ance of his employers, he formed a partnership with a 
cousin. Cyrus Chase, and opened a store in Salem, Mass. 
In 1830, he purchased an interest in the schooner Rebecca, 
and became a trader with the West Indies. His first ven- 
tures were successful, but later ones were unprofitable, and 
in May, 1834, he sailed as a supercargo for a voyage of 
seven months. The next year he sailed for Calcutta as the 
representative of David Pingree, to purchase hides, cloths, 
gums, etc., and ship them to this country. In 1836, he 
spent a part of the year in Madras. Returning to Calcutta, 
he travelled nearly a thousand miles on the river Ganges 
into the heart of the country. In 1839, he went to Singa- 
pore, stopping on his return at the island of Penang, where 
he entered into new business relations in the firm of Rev- 
erly & Co. In 1840, his partner, Mr. Reverly, was lost at 
sea under such conditions of bequest that the business and 
profits of the firm passed to Mr. Currier. The business 
increased until it employed from three to five vessels, and 
then Mr. Currier's old friend, David Pingree, began to send 
to Penang, and the enterprise was very much enlarged. 
AVhen American interests became sufficiently identified at 
Penang, Mr. Currier was made the first consul. While at 
Penang, in consequence of a personal service to a Danish 
colony in the Nicobar Islands, he received the present of a 
gold snuff-box, bearing the royal emblem, from the king of 
Denmark. In 1859, suffering from asthma, Mr. Currier 
returned to the United States. In March, the next year, 
a sudden illness caused his death on the 13th. He died at 
the house of his brother, John Currier, in the Stumpfield 



352 LLFE AND TIMES IN HOPETNTON. 

district, leaving a large fortune to be divided among his 
relatives. 

The foregoing is mainly condensed from a sketch pub- 
lished in the " History of Merrimack and Belknap Counties." 

Erastus E. Currier, the son of Amos Currier and 
Fanny Patterson, was born in Hopkinton, August 11, 1816. 
Excepting about a year in Henniker, he has lived contin- 
uously in Hopkinton, his home being in Contoocook. He 
is a farmer and manufacturer of lumber. He was six years 
a captain of militia. 

Captain Currier married Lucy A. Morrill, daughter of 
Joseph Morrill and Parmela Martin, of Hopkinton. She 
died June 3, 1884. There were three children born of this 
marriage, — George Alonzo, George Alvaro, Amos H. 

Amos H. Currier, the son of Erastus E. Currier and 
Lucy H. Morrill, was born in Hopkinton, Oct. 8, 1848, his 
father residing in Contoocook. He attended Contoocook 
academy. With the exception of one year in Danbury 
and one in Littleton, he has always resided in Contoocook. 
Since 1872, he has been railroad station agent, express 
agent, and telegraph operator. He has become post-master 
the present year. 

In 1879, November 27, Mr. Currier married Mary S. 
(Nichols) Danforth, the daughter of David S. Nichols and 
Mary S. Story, of Hopkinton. 

Alonzo Currier, the son of Amos Currier and Fanny 
Patterson, was born in Hopkinton, June 6, 1821, and has 
always lived in this town. He is a farmer and mechanic. 
In militia days he was a lieutenant and a captain, six years 
in all. His wife was Emily Merrill, daughter of Isaac 
Merrill, of Hopkinton. They have had children, — Abby 
S., Nettie I. 

Samuel Curtice, the son of John Curtice and Mildred 
Gibson, was born in Windsor, April 3, 1813. In the course 
of his life he has resided in Dedham, Mass., and in Lemp- 
ster. He came to Contoocook in 1860. He is a farmer. 
He has been a steward of the M. E. church. 

In 1841, March 18, Mr. Curtice married Lenora Sweat, 
daughter of John Sweat and Mary Preston, of Windsor. 
They have children, — Grosvenor Austin, Lenora Arvilla, 
Mary Vilona. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 353 

Grovenor Austin Curtice, the son of Samuel Cur- 
tice and Leonora Sweat, was born in Lempster, March 31, 
1842. He attended school at Henniker and Hopkinton 
academies. From 1845 to 1861, he resided in Windsor; 
since J.861, in Contoocook, where he pursues the vocation 
of a merchant in the firm of Curtice, Rand & Co. 

In 1862, August 14, Mr. Curtice enlisted as a private of 
the 7th Regiment N. H. V., and was mustered into Com- 
pany D on the 21st of the same month. He participated 
in all the battles in which his regiment was engaged, being 
wounded at Fort Wagner. He was promoted to sergeant, 
orderly, and finally to captain. At Fort Fisher he captured 
a rebel captain and several of his men. 

Captain Curtice has frequently held offices of public 
trust. In 1867 and 1868, he was town-clerk, the latter 
year being also one of the superintending school-committee ; 
from 1869 to 1871, town treasurer, being also post-master 
of Contoocook at the same time, and again treasurer from 
1874 to 1878, being also representative in 1875 and 1877. 
In 1878, he was a supervisor of the check-list. In 1880, he 
was elected state senator for the term of two years, and in 
1883 he was a member of the executive council. 

In 1866, Captain Curtice married Sara Augusta John- 
son, daughter of Joshua Johnson and Clara A. Patterson, 
of Hopkinton, on the 14th of August. Mrs. Curtice died 
July 4, 1869, and April 18, 1876, Captain Curtice married 
Augusta Wilson, daughter of Robert Wilson and Lucinda 
Huse, of Hopkinton. 

Hiram Cutler, the son of Nathan Cutler and Mary 
Moore, was born in Industry, Me., February 21, 1822. He 
resided in Industry, till 1845, and in Lowell, Mass., till 
1848. Since 1848, he has resided in Hopkinton, though 
spending six months in California. During the late war, 
he served in Company B, 2d Regiment N. H. V., being 
mustered in on September 17, 1861, and discharged on 
account of wounds December 14, 1862. He afterwards 
served as a corporal in Company A, 18th Regiment N. H. V., 
being mustered in September 13, 1864, and mustered out 
June 10, 1865. In 1847, Mr. Cutler married Rhoda (Darl- 
ing) Taisey, of Lowell, Mass. Mr. Cutler is a farmer and 
carpenter. 
22 



354 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

SECTION IX. 

DANFORTH — DWINELLS . 

Enoch Danforth, the son of Edmund Danfo'rth and 
Rhoda Clough, was born in Boscawen, May 4, 1824. Mr. 
Danforth is a blacksmith by trade and a farmer by occu- 
pation. In 1862, he went to California, where he resided 
till 1872, since then residing in Hopkinton. Before going 
to California, he kept a hotel for a time in Contoocook. 

In 1879 and 1880, Mr. Danforth was a selectman of Hop- 
kinton. 

Enoch Danforth married Melissa Colby, at Fisherville 
(now Penacook), for a first wife. They had children, — 
Anna N. and Edward E. For a second wife, Mr. Danforth 
married Lydia A. (Connor) Fisk, daughter. of Isaac Connor 
and Lydia A. Kimball, who resided in Hopkinton. They 
have one child, — Edmund G. 

John S. Daniels, the son of George S. Daniels and 
Sarah J. Chase, was born in Hopkinton in 1841. In the 
course of his life, he has resided in Minnesota, Manchester, 
and Lowell, Mass., being at different times a farmer, a 
school-teacher, a restaurant-keeper, etc. In 1862, Au- 
gust 9, he was mustered into Company B, 2d Regiment 
N. H. V., continuing in the service till May 17, 1865. On 
the 3d of June, 1864, at Cold Harbor, Va., he was wounded 
twice, in the right shoulder and in the left lung. A bullet 
still remains embedded in the lung. After being wounded, 
private Daniels was for a time in a hospital at Washington, 
D. C, and afterwards in Rhode Island, and again in Man- 
chester. He was given a pension at the time of his dis- 
charge from the army. In August, 1867, Mr. Daniels 
married Mary A. Layman, daughter of Hiram Layman and 
Abigail Joice, of Minnesota. Mrs. Daniels died in July, 
1870, and in May, 1875, Mr. Daniels married Mary A. 
Zabin, daughter of Thomas Zabin and Agnes Brown, of 
Manchester. Mr. Daniels has two children by his first 
wife. Their initials are G. S. and C. H. 

Abeam Davis, the son of Abraham and Abiah Davis, 
was born in Hopkinton, January 23, 1776. Excepting six 
years in Lempster, he always lived in Hopkinton. He was 








> 

00 



00 

en 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 355 

a commissioned officer of cavalry in militia days. In 1837 
<md 1838, he was a selectman of Hopkinton. In the town- 
clerk's record, his Christian name is called Abraham. 
Though a farmer, he was a maker of farm implements, 
such as yokes, plows, and other utensils. In 1804, 
March 15, he married Priscilla Currier, daughter of John 
and Sarah Currier, of Hopkinton. They had children, — 
John Currier, born January 2, 1807 ; Betsey, born March 
8, 1808 ; Sarah Clark, born October 23, 1809 ; Lucy Story, 
born July 23, 1811 : Sabrina, born March 28, 1813 ; Amos 
Haynes, born March 29, 1815 : Charles Chase, born June 
15/1817; Seth, born October 29, 1819; George, born July 
29, 1821. Abram Davis died October 31, 1844; his wife, 
December 7, 1854. 

Amos Haynes Davis, the son of Abram Davis and Pris- 
cilla Currier, was born in Hopkinton, March 29, 1815. In 
youth, he attended Hopkinton academy. From 1836 to 
1843, he pursued the vocation of a peddler ; in 1844 and 
1845, he was on a vegetable farm near Boston, Mass. ; the 
remainder of his life was spent in Hopkinton, his home 
being on a farm in the Stumpfield district, where his son, 
Henry B., now resides. In 1862 and 1863, Mr. Davis was 
a selectman of Hopkinton. 

In 1845, Dec. 25, Mr. Davis married Betsey Ann Cressy, 
daughter of Robert and Abagail Cressy, of Hopkinton. 
They had children, — Frank Robert, Henry Barnard, Charles 
Currier. 

Mr. Davis died August 8, 1889 ; Mrs. Davis, August 9, 
1866. 

Walter S. Davis, the son of Nathaniel A. Davis and 
Mary Clough, was born in Warner, July 29, 1834. In early 
life, he received academical instruction at Washington, 
Thetford, Vt., and New London. He also in early man- 
hood gave considerable attention to teaching. Later, he 
formed a partnership with Samuel H. Dow iu the lumber 
business ; subsequently, another with Paine Davis. In con- 
sequence of the needs of the lumbering business, the old 
mill at Davisville, the home of the subject of this sketch, 
was rebuilt, and a circular saw put in. In 1869, the mill 
was burned, and a new one was erected. In 1871, Mr. Davis 
formed a partnership with George W. Dow, of Bristol, and 



356 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

erected a straw-board factory. After sundry changes in 
the membership of the firm, Walter S. Davis and his brother** 
Henry C. Davis, became the proprietors of the business, 
under the name of Davis Brothers, continuing in the work 
of straw-board manufacture on a large scale till the trans- 
fer of the works to the Union Straw-Board Company in 
1887, at the same time being actively engaged in the lum- 
ber business. 

In 1874, the subject of this sketch moved his family to 
Contoocook, where he purchased the water-power in 1887, 
and built his present elegant residence and sundry tene- 
ment houses in 1888 and 1889. In the prosecution of 
mechanics, he has shown much ingenuity, having invented 
the Davis turbine water-wheel and a machine for the man- 
ufacture of paper boxes. At present, the Davis Brothers 
are interested in a box-making firm at Lynn, Mass. Walter 
S. Davis was representative of the town of Hopkinton in 
1878, and state senator in 1885. A Mason, he was master 
of Harris Lodge, Warner, in 1882 and 1883. He was many 
years E. King of Woods's Chapter, No. 14, and is a member 
of Horace Chase Council, of Concord. 

In 1857, May 3, Walter S. Davis married Dollie Jones, 
daughter of Daniel Jones and Judith Trussel, of Warner. 
They have had children, — Walter S. B., Horace J., Charlie 
H., Mary A. 

(The foregoing is partly condensed from a sketch by Col. 
L. W. Cogswell.) 

Lewis H. Dearborn, the son of Edwin Dearborn and 
Lettice C. Stanyan, was born in Epsom, February 17, 1842. 
He resided in Epsom till 1847, in Pembroke till 1869, in 
Weare till 1872. Since 1872, he has resided in Hopkinton. 
He is a farmer. He was a selectman of Hopkinton from 
1876 to 1878, and in 1885 ; collector of taxes in 1883 
and 1884; superintendent of the Congregational Sunday- 
school from 1876 to 1878 ; he has been deacon of the Con- 
gregational church since 1879. During the late war, he 
served in Company C, 2d Regiment N. H. V., enlisting May 
9, 1861 ; was in the first battle of Bull Run ; was wounded 
at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862 ; was discharged on ac- 
count of wound, September 25, 1862. 

In 1870, May 24, Mr. Dearborn married Elvira C. Fol- 
lansbee, daughter of Jesse Follansbee and Mary Melvin, 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 357 

of Weare. They have children, — Edwin J., Bertha L., 
Alfred H. 

Henry M. Dearborn, the son of Edwin Dearborn and 
Lettice C. Stanyan, was born in Epsom in 1846. He was 
educated at Pembroke academy, Bowdoin college, and 
Harvard Medical College. From 1869 to 1873, he prac- 
tised in Hopkinton ; from 1874 to 1880, in Boston, Mass. ; 
since 1880, he has practised in New York city. From 1881 
to 1890, he was visiting physician to the Ward's Island 
Home Hospital ; from 1886 to 1890, professor of principles 
and practice of medicine in the New York Medical College 
and Hospital for Women ; from 1886 to 1890, attending 
physician to the Laura Franklin Free Hospital for Children ; 
from 1887 to 1890, consulting physician to the Hospital for 
Women. In 1890, he was appointed clinical professor of 
dermatology. He has been editor of the North American 
Journal of Homoeopathy since 1885, and president of the 
Homoeopathic Medical Society of New York city since 1889. 
He has been a medical examiner for life insurance since 
1879. 

Dr. Dearborn's family history in this country dates back 
to colonial times, and among the direct descendants there 
have been about forty physicians. Dr. Dearborn owns an 
elegant summer cottage in this town, the edifice being the 
remodelled residence and school-house of the late famous 
Master John O. Ballard. 

In 1873, Dr. Dearborn married Sadie Smith, daughter of 
Edward Henry Smith and Sarah Butterly, of Peabody, 
Mass., by whom he has two children, — Cornelia H. and 
Frederick M. 

John J. Dearborn, a former physician of Hopkinton, 
was born in Concord, December 18. 1850, being a son of 
John M. Dearborn and Ruth F. E. Hoyt. He read medi- 
cine in the office of Drs. Gage & Conn, at Concord, and 
attended lectures at the medical school at Burlington, Vt. 
From 1872 to 1877, he practised in Hopkinton. He then 
travelled a year in the West and South. From 1878 to 
1884, he practised in Salisbury, and afterwards in Tilton. 
He is now prevented from active practice by ill health. Dr. 
Dearborn is widely known as the compiler of the History 
of Salisbury. 



358 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In 1881, November 21, Dr. Dearborn married Etta J. 
Bean, of Salisbury. She was the daughter of David S. 
Bean and Eliza J. Seward. They have one child, — Eliza S. 

Moses E. Dodge, the son of Henry Dodge and Susan 
Eaton, was born in Hopkinton, September 26, 1826. He 
enjoyed such educational advantages as this town afforded, 
and became a thriving farmer and lumberman. He was 
one of the charter members of Union Grange, and an officer 
for several years. In 1875, he was one of a board of town 
assessors of real estate. 

In 1860, Mr. Dodge married Abbie A. Weeks, daughter 
of Charles Weeks and Phoebe Hemphill, of Hopkinton. 
They have one son, — Henry. 

Mr. Dodge died December 16, 1889, being suffocated and 
consumed in a fire that destroyed his barn, in the Stump- 
field district, where he lived. 

Henry Dodge, the son of Moses E. Dodge and Abbie 
Ann Weeks, was born in Hopkinton, January 2, 1863. He 
was educated at Contoocook academy, New Hampton In- 
stitute, Dartmouth Medical College, and the University of 
Vermont Medical College, graduating in 1887. Dr. Dodge 
began practice in Goffstown, in 1887, but moved to Web- 
ster the present year, 1889. 

In 1883, July 5, Henry Dodge married Josephine A. 
Hoyt, daughter of Benjamin Hoyt and Sarah E. Reed, of 
Hopkinton. They have one child, — Clarence B. 

William F. Dodge, the son of Grover Dodge and Lydia 
B. French, was born in Hopkinton, August 26, 1837. With 
the exception of six years in Manchester, he has always 
lived in Hopkinton. In youth, he attended Hopkinton 
academy. He is a farmer, who has been a selectman since 
1887. 

In 1862, January 4, Mr. Dodge married Martha J. Ed- 
gerly, daughter of David Edgerly and Sarah Sanborn, of 
New Hampton. They have children, — Edwin L., Frank P., 
Grover W., Maud E. 

Porter Dtjfur, the son of Eliphalet Dufur and Melinda 
Dimick, was born in Sutton, Canada, February 18, 1813. 
In the course of his life, he has resided in New York, New 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 359 

Jersey, and Missouri. He has also resided in Boston, Mass., 
Quincy, Mass., Lyme, Concord, Weare, and Hopkinton. 
He is a worker in stone. He was at one time employed on 
the Erie canal, N. Y., and afterwards on Moore's canal, 
while in New Jersey. He at one time ran on a steamboat 
between St. Louis, Mo., and New Orleans, La. He was on 
a steamboat running between Sackett's Harbor and Buffalo 
at the time of the great gale in 1841. During the late war, 
he enlisted in Company F, 5th Regiment N. H. V., and 
was discharged in front of Richmond in 1862. In 1863, he 
reenlisted, and was put in the 18th Veteran Reserve Corps. 
He was on guard at Washington, D. C, at the time of the 
execution of the conspirators against the government in 
1865. 

Mr. Dufur married Caroline M. Dimick, daughter of 
Jacob W. Dimick and Eliza Roberts, of Concord. They 
have living children, — Franklin, Elizabeth, Charlotte, and 
Eugene. 

Elmer B. Dunbar, the son of Azel Dunbar and Me- 
hitable Nichols, was born in Grantham, August 8, 1830. 
He was a farmer till 1854, and has since then been a car- 
penter. He lived for a time in Springfield, but since 1839 
has lived mostly in Hopkinton. He has been village sexton 
since 1859. 

In 1852, October 18, Mr. Dunbar married Ann Thorn- 
dike Webber, daughter of Seth Webber, of Hopkinton. 
They have had children, — Mary E., Freddie H., Henry P., 
Carrie B., Elmer E., Edwin G., Ida E., Grace M. 

Ebenezer Dustin, many years a prominent citizen of 
Hopkinton, was born in Warner in 1781. His mother's 
name was Lois Hunt. In quite early life he came to Hop- 
kinton, living many years on the Dustin homestead, now to 
be seen at the foot of the westerly slope of Putney's hill. 
Mr. Dustin was prominent in many public councils. He 
settled many estates and was the guardian of numerous 
minor children. In 1811, and perhaps at other times, he 
was a member of the superintending school-committee of 
Hopkinton. In 1815, he was a selectman. He was a prom- 
inent temperance reformer of the earlier days. He was 
the president of the " Gun Cotton Society," organized in 
Contoocook about the year 1840, and which was aggressive 
in the work of suppressing the liquor traffic. 



360 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Mr. Dustin married Sarah Pierce, of Warner, daughter 
of Daniel Pierce and Hannah (?) Marsh. They had chil- 
dren, — Cyrus, Daniel P., Eben H., Sarah, Charlotte, George, 
Betsey. 

Mr. Dustin died January 14, 1872, aged 91 ; Mrs. Dustin, 
December 6, 1859, aged 73. 

Cyrus Dustin, the son of Ebenezer Dustin and Sarah 
Pierce, was born in Warner, December 13, 1807. In early 
life, he came to Hopkinton, where he attended the school 
of Master John O. Ballard. Excepting one year in Salem, 
Mass., and three in Lowell, he has lived most of his life in 
Hopkinton, following the vocation of a farmer. In 1847, 
1861, and 1871, Mr. Dustin was a selectman of Hopkinton. 

Mr. Dustin married Ednah P. Fisk, of Concord. She 
was the daughter of Ebenezer Fisk and Hannah Proctor. 
They had children, — Gilbert F., Clara A., Hannah P., Eb- 
enezer F., and Herbert C. 

Mrs. Dustin died February 15, 1887. 

Herbert C. Dustin, the son of Cyrus Dustin and Edna 
P. Fisk, was born in Hopkinton, January 28, 1855. He 
attended Contoocook academy, and became a farmer. In 
1883, 1884, and 1885, Mr. Dustin was a selectman of Hop- 
kinton ; in 1887, representative to the General Court. 

In 1880, January 15, Mr. Dustin married Sarah A. Rich- 
ardson, daughter of Daniel Richardson and Sarah Dodge, 
of Hopkinton. They have children, — Gilbert R. and 
Daniel. 

Daniel P. Dustin, the son of Ebenezer Dustin and 
Sarah Pierce, was born in Hopkinton, November 23, 1809. 
In early life, he attended Master John O. Ballard's school. 
He was a farmer, who became noted for his efforts for the 
cultivation of an improved breed of sheep. He lived where 
his son, Henry D. Dustin, now resides until late in life, 
when he moved to Contoocook, where he died April 30, 
1880. 

Daniel P. Dustin married Sarah Ann Barnard, daughter 
of Joseph Barnard and Miriam Jackman Eastman, of Hop- 
kinton. They had children, — Joseph Barnard, born June 
30, 1841; Sarah E., born July 29, 1843; Ada M., born 
July 22, 1846 ; Henry D., born February 25, 1849 ; Cyrus 
F., born January 25, 1853. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 361 

Henry Daniel Dustin, the son of Daniel Dustin and 
Sarah Ann Barnard, was born in Hopkinton, February 25, 
1849. He attended school at Contoocook academy, and at 
nineteen years of age became a teacher. During his later 
life, he has almost or quite yearly been connected with 
schools, either as a teacher or school officer. From 1876 to 
1878, Mr. Dustin was a member of the superintending 
school-committee ; from 1881 to 1885, a selectman ; in 1885, 
representative to the General Court; since 1886, a member 
of the school-board. 

In 1871, November 30, Mr. Dustin married Helen Maria 
Tucker, daughter of Dea. David Tucker and Mary E. 
Straw, of Hopkinton. 

James M. Dwinells, the son of James Dwinells and 
Lucy S. Greenleaf, was born in Hopkinton in 1832. Dur- 
ing his life, he has resided twelve years in Weare. During 
the late war, he served in Company G, 7th Regiment N. 
H. V., two years and four months. 

In 1862, July 5, Mr. Dwinells married Susan M. Heath, 
daughter of Alfred Heath and Mary Brown, of Concord. 
They have had children, — Mary F., Nellie, Henry. 



SECTION X. 

EASTMAN — EVANS. 

Ezra Eastman, the son of Ezra Eastman and Polly 
Eaton, was born in Hopkinton, April 11, 1798. He ob- 
tained an academical education, and became a school-teacher 
of successful experience. He was also a farmer. In 1832, 
he moved to Henniker, where he resided till his death, 
April 19, 1884. At the time of his death, he had been 
considered the oldest Freemason in the state. 

In 1828, September 30, Mr. Eastman married Cynthia 
W. Connor, daughter of John Connor and Mary Whitney, 
of Henniker. They had children, — Marv W., born July 
19, 1829 ; George A., born October 26, 1831 ; Adaline S., 
born September 27, 1833 ; Susan C, born May 5, 1838 ; 
Helen J., born March 20, 1849. 



362 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Jonathan G. Eastman, the son of Samuel Eastman 
and Sarah Harris, was born in Hopkinton, September 
20, 1800, and always lived in this town. He was a farmer. 
He was once a lieutenant of militia. In 1831, he married 
Mary Sleeper, daughter of Moses Sleeper and Mehitable 
Peterson. His second wife was Charlotte (Kimball) Jack- 
man, daughter of John Kimball and Lydia Clough, of Hop- 
kinton, whom he married May 8, 1836, and by whom he 
had two children, — Walter S. and Almira. Mr. Eastman 
died July 28, 1874 ; his second wife, February 28, 1885. 
Samuel Eastman, father of Jonathan G. Eastman, was a 
Revolutionary soldier who was at Valley Forge. 

Timothy B. Eastman, the son of Timothy Eastman and 
Polly Sibley, was born in Warner, January 17, 1832, in the 
district of Roby's Corner. In the course of his life he has 
resided in Manchester, Hyde Park, Mass., and Hopkinton, 
living in Contoocook since 1882, where he has pursued the 
manufacture of hubs for wheels. He was a member of 
Company D, 11th Regiment N. H. V., during the late war. 

In 1860, March 1, Mr. Eastman married Christina S. 
Morrill, daughter of Isaac S. Morrill and Achsah Bean, of 
Manchester. They have children, — Clarence M., Ethelyn A. 

Benjamin Eaton, the son of Samuel Eaton and Betsey 
Page, was born in Weare in 1778 and died in Hopkinton, 
October 13, 1807. He was a saddle- and harness-maker, 
employing about a half dozen apprentices and journeymen. 
He was a lieutenant of militia. He was noted for his skill 
in penmanship. He was a Mason, and his funeral was con- 
ducted with the imposing honor of his craft. His wife was 
Phoebe Chandler, daughter of Isaac Chandler and Maria 
Cotton, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Betsey Page, 
Charlotte Maria. 

Harrison Eaton, the son of Moses Eaton and Judith 
Merrill, was born in Hopkinton, December 13, 1813. He 
attended medical lectures at Hanover in 1833 and 1834 ; he 
graduated at the Berkshire Medical Institute, at Pittsfield, 
Mass., in 1836. He became a Fellow of the New Hamp- 
shire Medical Society in 1842. He practised two years in 
Weare, and then removed to Merrimack, where he died 
November 19, 1881. He represented Merrimack in the 
General Court. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 363 

In 1838, December 25, Dr. Eaton married Charlotte M. 
Eaton, of Hopkinton. She was a daughter of Benjamin 
and Phoebe Eaton. She died December 21, 1866. 

His second wife was Harriet N. Lane, of Candia, whom 
he married in November, 1868. 

Dr. Eaton had one son, — Henry H., born October 24, 
1839. 

Horace Edmunds, the son of Ezra Edmunds and Han- 
nah Paige, was born in Weare, February 27, 1801. Until 
1830, he resided in Weare ; since 1830, in Hopkinton, fol- 
lowing the vocation of a farmer and blacksmith. In 1848 
and 1849, Mr. Edmunds was a selectman of Hopkinton. In 
1857, when the law for the establishment of county com- 
missioners became of force, he was a member of the first 
board. 

In 1830, April 4, Horace Edmunds married Bridget W. 
Cilley, of Weare. She was a daughter of Philip Cilley and 
Susanna C. Whipple. They had children, — Hannah P., 
born February 14, 1831 ; Susan D., born March 16, 1833 ; 
Horace F., born February 27, 1835 ; infant son, born March 
8, 1837; Ellen G., born July 4, 1838; Edward H., born 
February 5, 1842 ; Alice F., born October 31, 1848. 

Mrs. Edmunds died February 14, 1876. 

Horace F. Edmunds, the son of Horace Edmunds and 
Bridget W. Cilley, was born in Hopkinton, February 27, 
1835, and has always lived in this town, pursuing the voca- 
tion of a farmer and blacksmith. In 1872 and 1873, Mr. 
Edmunds was a selectman. He has been a deputy sheriff 
of Merrimack county, being appointed in 1873 and continu- 
ing about five years. 

Nathaniel Evans, a native of Peterborough, was born 
December 20, 1797. He was educated at Andover academy. 
At sundry times, he resided in Peterborough, Sullivan, Con- 
cord, Keene, and Hopkinton, where he died May 23, 1877. 
He was a merchant. In 1812, the subject of this sketch 
furnished supplies for the army and held military attendant 
rank. He was a member of the Keene Light Infantry, 
commanded by the famous Capt. Jim Wilson. He was a 
deacon of the South Congregational church, Concord, and 
also acting deacon of the church in Hopkinton. He was 



364 LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKINTON. 

leader of the choir and superintendent of the Sunday-school 
of Dr. Barstow's church in Keene. 

Nathaniel Evans was twice married. His first wife was 
Harriet Wiggin, of Concord, a daughter of Sherburne Wig- 
gin. His second wife was Mary Ann Stanley, daughter of 
Theophilus and Rebecca Stanley, of Hopkinton. His chil- 
dren were, — Charles Alanson, Nathaniel, Sarah Hutchins, 
Harriet Wiggin, Paulina Tucker, Lewis Downing, Grace 
Stevens. 

Lewis D. Evans, the son of Nathaniel Evans and Har- 
riet Wiggin, was born in Sullivan, December 9, 1828. He 
was educated at Gilmanton academy. At sundry times, he 
has resided in Sullivan, Keene, Boston, Mass., and Hopkin- 
ton. He is a book-keeper by calling. In 1849 and 1850, 
he was in the boot and shoe trade at Concord. In 1876, 
he was a member of the superintending school-committee 
of Hopkinton ; in 1881, a town-clerk, to fill a vacancy ; 
since 1882, he has been post-master at Hopkinton village. 

In August, 1870, Mr. Evans married Isabel P. Tyler, 
daughter of Dr. Cyril C. Tyler and $arah Putnam, of Hop- 
kinton. Mrs. Evans died February 4, 1886. 



SECTION XI. 

FARRILL — FLANDERS. 

Edgar T. Farrill, a former pastor of the Hopkinton 
Congregational church, was born in Providence, R. I., Au- 
gust 21, 1854, being a son of Andrew Farrill and Susan W. 
Harrington. He was educated at the Mowry & Goff 
Military, English, and Classical high school, Providence, 
at Brown University, and at Andover (Mass.) Theological 
Seminary. He resided in Providence till 1879, in Andover 
till 1882, in Hopkinton till 1885, having been ordained pas- 
tor of the Congregational church September 27, 1882, and 
dismissed November 20 of the last year of his residence 
here. Since 1885, the Rev. Mr. FarriUhas resided in Leb- 
anon, being pastor of the church there. He has compiled 
a manual and history of the Lebanon church ; has for four 
years been president of the Grafton County Sunday-School 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 365 

Union and of the West Grafton Bible Society ; has been 
for two } r ears chairman of the Lebanon board of education, 
operating under a special act ; has been for three years a 
trustee of Kimball Union Academy, is on its committee to 
dispense scholarships and on that for securing teachers and 
determining the course of study ; has served on the ex- 
amining board of Dartmouth college ; is on the executive 
committee of the State Temperance Union. He also organ- 
ized the Lebanon Village Improvement Association, for 
supplying water, laying concrete walks, etc. 

In 1883, July 8, the Rev. Mr. Farrill married Mary Alice 
Fenner, daughter of Sullivan Fenner and Mary C. King, of 
Providence. They have children, — Edgar Powers, Ethel 
Alene, Harold Fenner. 

Samuel Farrington, who appears to have given its 
name to Farrington's Corner, was the son of Stephen Far- 
rington, and appears to have been born in Concord, August 
16, 1748. He married Marion Eastman, and moved to 
Hopkinton in 1770. The following were their children : 
Apphia, born 1772; Benjamin E., born August 8, 1773; 
Patty, born 1775 ; Samuel, born 1776 ; Philip, born 1778 ; 
Stephen, bom 1781 ; Lois, born December 25, 1793. 

Samuel P. Farrington, the son of Benjamin E. Far- 
rington and Priscilla Allen, was born in Hopkinton, Jan- 
uary 29, 1819. He resided in Boston, Mass., from 1837 to 
1850 ; in 1850, he went to Chicago, 111., where he resided 
at last information, being a merchant. He has been presi- 
dent of the Merchants' Exchange of Chicago, president of 
the Commercial Exchange of the same city, president of a 
missionary society, etc. He passed through the great Chicago 
fire, and saw $150,000 worth of goods consumed in fifteen 
minutes, though in twenty-eight days he was selling goods 
in a store 100 by 50 feet in size and built in three weeks, 
his stock of goods being full. 

In 1841, September 8, Mr. Farrington married a lady 
named Perkins, daughter of James Perkins, of Wakefield. 
They had children, — Samuel Leroy, Fannie E., James B. 

Mrs. Farrington died January 22, 1848, and, July 7, 1853, 
Mr. Farrington married a lady named McKay, daughter of 
Benjamin McKay, of Chicago. They have had children, — 
Florence L., Luther H. 



366 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Ignatius Webber Fellows was born in Hopkinton, 
December 22, 1805, being a son of Benjamin Fellows and 
Betsey (Woodman) Ladd. He was a jeweller and farmer 
by occupation. From 1833 to 1837, lie resided in Lowell, 
Mass., where he pursued the calling of a jeweller, as he did 
also in Hopkinton in his earlier manhood. Mr. Fellows 
was noted for his transactions in real estate and securities. 
After 18-13, he was the treasurer of Hopkinton academy. 
He lived many years in the house now occupied by his 
widow in Hopkinton village. 

In 1830, June 30, Mr. Fellows married Sarah Jane Copps, 
daughter of Moses Copps and Mary George, of Hopkinton. 
They had children, — Sarah E., Mary F., Charles F., Georgia 
B., Harriet E., James E., Clara M., Emma S. 

Mr. Fellows died February 21, 1887. 

James K. Fellows, the son of Benjamin Fellows and 
Betsev (Woodman) Ladd, was born in Hopkinton, August 
5, 1809. Since 1831, he has lived in Lowell, Mass. He is 
a watch-maker and jeweller. He has been in the Massa- 
chusetts legislature in 1837 and in 1838, and in 1851 and 
1852. He was a member of the state constitutional conven- 
tion of 1852. He was a member of the Lowell city council 
in 1837 and 1857. He was in Europe in 1848 and 1851, 
being at the world's exhibition the latter year. 

In 1839, February 22, he married Mary C. Ordway, 
daughter of Thomas Ordway and Jerusha Currier, of Low- 
ell. They had children,— J. Marcus, Mary E., Ellen S., 
Alice J. 

James Fellows, the son of Stevens Fellows and Miriam 
Tewksbury, was born in Salisbury, September 12, 1821. 
He was educated at Salisbury academy and Livonia Insti- 
tute, in New York. By calling, he is a merchant and 
farmer. Mr. Fellows has lived in Salisbury from 1821 to 
1857 ; in Concord, from 1857 to 1859; in Hopkinton, from 
1859 to 1866 ; in Henniker, from 1866 to 1872; in Andover, 
from 1872 to 1875; in Boston and Hubbardston, Mass., 
from 1875 to 1878 ; in Henniker, from 1878 to the present 
time. The subject of this sketch has held many public 
offices. He was captain of the Salisbury Grenadiers from 
1845 to 1848 ; selectman of Salisbury from 1851 to 1855 ; 
register of deeds for Merrimack county from 1857 to 1859 ; 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 367 

county commissioner from 1865 to 1868; state justice of 
the peace from 1853 to the present time ; moderator of 
town-meeting in Salisbury, Hubbardston, and Henniker, 
thirteen years in all ; superintending school-committee in 
Salisbury and Henniker, three years each ; selectman of 
Henniker from 1880 to 1887. 

Mr. Fellows is a man of much nerve. While at work in 
a mill in Dorchester, a hand was caught in the machinery 
and drawn in nearly to the elbow. Knowing he would 
bleed to death unless immediately released, and the work- 
men being stupefied with alarm, he coolly took a knife 
from his pocket and separated the hand, leaving it in the 
machinery, and then drew a belt lacing from a pocket and 
put a ligature about the mangled arm. When the surgeon 
amputated and dressed the stump, Mr. Fellows held it out 
without the movement of a muscle, taking no amesthetic 
for relief of pain. 

When Franklin Pierce was a candidate for the presi- 
dency, he made a visit to Concord, and an immense flag 
was suspended across the street in his honor. During the 
day, a violent squall arose, the flag was torn, and threat- 
ened with destruction. Some one was needed to ascend a 
%ig-stan° 160 feet high and cut a rope, loosening the flag, 
which presented a surface 120 by 85 feet to the wind. A 
sailor tried, but grew faint and descended. Mr. Fellows 
then took off his coat, ascended to the gilded ball, cut the 
rope, and descended. When the rope was cut, the staff 
rebounded from its flexure a distance of thirty feet. The 
cheers of the multitude rewarded Mr. Fellows for his feat. 

In 1843, June 15, Mr. Fellows married Jane Stevens, 
daughter of Daniel Stevens and Dolly Peaslee, of Salisbury. 
They had children, — Clara Adelia, Marion Arvilda, John 
Stevens, Wilfred Dunbar, James Fred, Nellie Stanwood, 
John Henry. 

Mrs. Fellows died July 8, 1885, and, in 1886, August 22, 
Mr. Fellows married Amelia Melissa Chandler, daughter of 
Jacob Chandler and Lovina Connor, of Hillsborough. 

Ephraim Fisk, a nonagenarian of Hopkinton, was born 
in Concord, April 17, 1798, being a son of Ephraim Fisk 
and Abigail Sawyer. He is a clothier and wool-carder by 
trade. From 1823 to 1825, he lived in Chichester ; since 
1835, his home has been in Contoocook. He is now with 



368 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

his son in Lowell, Mass. During his active life, he was 
station-agent in Contoocook eighteen years. 

Mr. Fisk married Margaret Dow, daughter of Moody- 
Dow and Anna Hoyt, of Concord. They had children, — 
Cyrus Mentor, George Lewis, Mary Jane Tyler, Mary Jane. 

Mrs. Fisk died March, 1870. 

Franklin Woodbury Fisk, an eminent Congregational 
minister and theological professor, was born in Hopkin- 
ton, February 16, 1820, being a son of Ebenezer Fisk 
and Hannah Proctor. He remained in Hopkinton till he 
was thirteen years old, and then went to Lowell, Mass., re- 
maining a year and a half. From 1835 to 1841, he was at 
Philadelphia (Pa.) academy, varying his occupation by 
teaching at times ; from 1845 to 1849, at Yale college ; 
theological student at Yale Divinity School and tutor in 
college till 1852, being licensed to preach July 19th the 
same year ; was a student in Andover Theological Seminary 
from January to May, 1853. In 1853, he made a trip to 
Europe, travelling there from May till November. An in- 
firmity of the eyes compelled him to give up the ministry, 
and he accepted a professorship of rhetoric and English lit- 
erature in Beloit college, Wisconsin, being appointed whi^e 
abroad. He continued at Beloit from April, 1854, till July, 
1859, and then became Wisconsin professor of sacred rhet- 
oric in the Chicago Theological Seminary, Illinois, being 
appointed in January, 1857, inaugurated in April, 1859, and 
entering upon the duties of his position in October follow- 
ing. On the 28th of April, 1859, Professor Fisk was or- 
dained into the ministry. In June, 1865, he received the 
degree of Doctor of Divinity from Olivet college, Michigan. 
In June, 1871, Professor Fisk revisited Europe and the 
East, remaining till August, 1872, three months of the time 
being occupied in attending lectures at Berlin. He was 
made president of Chicago Theological Seminary in 1887. 
In 1888, he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from 
Yale college, and the same year that of Doctor of Laws 
from Beloit college. In 1884, he published a Manual of 
Preaching, which has passed through two editions. 

In 1854, March 29, Professor Fisk married Mrs. Amelia 
Allen Austin, daughter of Ezra Bowen and Lydia Walcott, 
of Woodstock, Ct., who died May 10, 1881. They had three 
children, — Franklin Proctor, Amelia Maria, Henry Edward. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 369 

In 1885, December 23, Professor Fisk married Selinda 
Jennette (Gardiner) Hitchcock, of Chicago, being a daugh- 
ter of Elijah R. Gardiner and Rebecca Powell. 

Luther J. Fitch, the son of Paul Fitch and Mary Ja- 
quith, was born in Jaffrey, September 3, 1792. In the 
course of his life he resided in Rindge, Fitzwilliam, and 
Hopkinton. He was widely known as a school-teacher of 
the olden days, being occupied in teaching more or less of 
the time for thirty years and more. He at one time taught 
a high school in Dunbarton. While in Hopkinton, Mr. 
Fitch lived many years in the house now occupied by 
George H. Elliot, on the south road. 

In 1822, November 14, Mr. Fitch married Jane Hoyt, of 
Hopkinton. They had one daughter, — Sarah J. Mr. 
Fitch died February 5, 1872 ; his wife, April 1, 1867. 

Philip Flanders, the son of Richard C. Flanders and 
Rachel Colby, was born in South Hampton, August 30,. 
1786. When seventeen years old, he came to Hopkinton, 
locating on the so called Jewett road, where he lived until 
his death, being by occupation a farmer. 

In 1834, he was a selectman of Hopkinton. 

In 1815, April 11, Mr. Flanders married Sarah Smith, 
daughter of Moody Smith and Hannah Quimby, of Hop- 
kinton. They had five children, — Parker M., born January 
26, 1816 ; Hannah, born January 30, 1818 ; Sarah Ann, 
born June 3, 1821 ; Jonathan, born October 16, 1823 ; 
Philip, born September 24, 1827. 

Mr. Flanders died November 13, 1872; his- wife, March 
19, 1883, aged 96. 

Parker M. Flanders, the son of Philip Flanders and 
Sarah Smith, was born in Hopkinton, January 26, 1816, 
and always resided in his native town, being a farmer. His 
home was where his son, Parker Flanders, now lives, on 
the Jewett road. 

Mr. Flanders was justice of the peace for fifteen years, 
lieutenant of the militia two years, clerk of the Congrega- 
tional society twelve years, and clerk of his school-district 
over thirty years. In 1858 and 1859, he was a selectman. 

In 1851, February 19, Mr. Flanders married Hannah C. 
Connor, daughter of Abel Connor and Hannah Whitney, of 
23 



370 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Henniker. They had three children, — Mary L., Sarah A., 
Parker. Mr. Flanders died August 24, 1889. 

Nathaniel Flanders, noted for being the oldest man 
in town, was born in Hopkinton, January 20, 1794, being a 
son of Jeremiah Flanders and Miriam George. From 1819 
to 1827, and from 1828 to 1841, he lived in Bradford. The 
rest of his life has been spent in Hopkinton. He is a shoe- 
maker by trade, but has spent much of his life on the farm. 
His home is with his son, Sullivan Flanders, in the Hatfield 
district. 

In 1820, November 9, Mr. Flanders married Betsey 
Wright, daughter of Joshua Wright and Mollie Chadwick, 
of Sutton. They had children, — Melissa, born August 12, 
1821 ; Sullivan, born October 6, 1822 ; Lydia W., born 
April 20, 1824; Joshua W., born December 28, 1826; Na- 
thaniel, born December 27, 1828; George, born April 18, 
1832. Mrs. Flanders died February 16, 1867. 

Daniel Flanders, the son of Timothy Flanders and 
Martha Hoyt, was born in Hopkinton, September 25, 1799. 
With the exception of four years in Manchester, his life 
was spent in Hopkinton. In militia days he was an orderly 
sergeant, an ensign, a lieutenant, and a captain of rifles. 
He at one time kept a store in the Stumpfield district. He 
kept a hotel a few years in Hopkinton village. He was a 
farmer and a carpenter. 

In 1825, July 7, Mr. Flanders married Mary Eliza Lerned, 
daughter of Dr. Ebenezer Lerned and Mary Hall, of Hop- 
kinton. They had children, — Margaret Lerned, Timothy 
Brooks, Mary Hall, Ebenezer Lerned, Martha Jane, Leigh 
Richmond, Daniel Richmond, Charles Henry, Louisa Mc- 
Questen, Ann Joynes, Horace Clinton, Charlotte Elizabeth, 
Matthew Harvey, Alice Catharine, Frank Lerned. 

Mr. Flanders died August 10, 1886. 

Rueus P. Flanders, the son of Israel Flanders and 
Olive Holmes, was born in Dorchester, and in the course of 
his life resided in Salisbury, Goft'stown, Weare, Amesbury, 
-Mass., and Hopkinton, dying in Contoocook, February 22, 
1880, aged 66. He was a manufacturer of tin-ware and a 
merchant. He was the first driver of the present Hopkin- 
ton and Concord stage line, which at first was continued 
through Hopkinton village to Contoocook. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 371 

In 1834, he married Mary C. N. Gale, daughter of Israel 
Gale and Anna Nichols, of Hopkinton. They had chil- 
dren, — Mary Ann, Sarah B., Loren H., Israel N., Hattie B., 
Fred, Willis. 

Benjamin Flanders, the son of Israel Flanders and 
Olive Holmes, was born in Hopkinton, February 23, 1825. 
He has always lived in this town, being a farmer and lum- 
berman. Mr. Flanders is of intellectual tastes, being one 
of the best read citizens of the town, particularly in histor- 
ical matters. 

In 1854, November 30, Mr. Flanders married Melissa J. 
Dow, daughter of Squire Dow and Cynthia Page, of Hen- 
niker. They have had children, — Frank H., Emma J., 
Walter H. 



SECTION XII. 

FLETCHER — FULLER. 

Elijah Fletcher, the second minister of the town of 
Hopkinton, was born in Westford, Mass., in 1748, being a 
son of Timothy Fletcher and Bridget Richardson. In 1769, 
being twenty-one years of age, the subject of this sketch 
graduated at Harvard college. In 1773, he became pastor 
of the Hopkinton church, continuing till his death, on the 
8th of April, 1786. 

The Rev. Elijah Fletcher was a man of culture and influ- 
ence. Though so young, in 1775, May 11, he was chosen 
a deputy to represent the town for a period of six months. 
In previous chapters of this work, we have made repeated 
mention of the Rev. Mr. Fletcher and his relations to the 
town. While in this town his residence was about a mile 
east of Hopkinton village, the house now standing, being 
occupied by Mrs. Mary A. Abbott. This ancient edifice is 
frequently pointed out to the historically curious visitor. 
The structure has always been innocent of outside paint. 
Time has told so heavily upon it that the whole building 
leans to the west. Of odd proportions, the house has a 
front of 25 feet, and a rear extension of 36 feet ; the posts 
are 16 feet ; the roof is one third pitch ; back of the house 
is a small L. There is no front door; the main entrance is 



372 LIFE AND TIMES Of HOPELNTON. 

in the middle of the east end. But little change has been 
made in its internal or external arrangements since its 
earliest occupation. At first there was a long back kitchen, 
with possibly a pantry at one end, or in the little corner L. 
In front was one square room, flanked on one side by a 
small bed-room. Up-stairs there is one corner room, sepa- 
rated by rude wainscoting, and containing a fireplace ; the 
balance of the chamber is simply an unfinished shell. Upon 
the whole, here was an ordinary, uncouth, half-finished 
country parsonage. There was at one time a front door. 

There appear to have been at least four children of the 
Rev. Elijah Fletcher. Their names and approximate dates 
of birth are as follows: Bridget, born 1774; Timothy, born 
1775; Rebecca, born 1776 ; Gratia, born 1782. 

The reader will be interested in the following list of 
marriages, said to have been performed by the Rev. Elijah 
Fletcher during his residence in Hopkinton: July 20, 1776, 
Richard Straw to Jane Danforth; October 8, 1776, Nicho- 
las Colby to Louisa Martin; May 8, 1777, Joseph Colby to 
Widow Ruth Putney; March 20, 1779, Joseph Putney to 
Mary Piper; December 9, 1779, Joseph Jones to Betty 
Stanley; December 18, 1780, Henry Currier to Abagail 
Burbank; March 19, 1781, Dr. John Currier to Sarah 
Clement; April 26,1781, Thomas Currier to Ednor Bailey; 
July 3, 1783, Moses Hills to Molly Knowlton ; September 
25, 1783, Jeremiah Story, Jr., to Hannah Abbott; January 
22, 1784, Enoch Long, Jr., to Molly Kimball ; March 11, 
1784, David Kimball to Priscilla French ; August 10, 1784, 
William Putney to Hannah Blaisdell; December 6, 1785, 
James Straw to Polly Buswell ; January 12, 1786, Samuel 
Straw, Jr., to Molly Flanders. 

Grace Fletcher, as she is commonly called, and who 
is celebrated as having been the first wife of Daniel Web- 
ster, was born in Hopkinton, January 16, 1782, being a 
daughter of the Rev. Elijah Fletcher. Gratia, as she ap- 
pears to have been named by her parents, was four years 
old on the death of her father, in 1786. Subsequently her 
mother married the Rev. Christopher W. Paige, who settled 
in Pittsfield in 1789. Mr. Paige remained in Pittsfield 
about four years, and then returned to Hopkinton, where it 
is supposed that Grace claimed a home till she finished her 
education at Atkinson academy. Her sister, Rebecca, hav- 



PEE SON AL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 373 

ing married Hon. Israel Kelly, once of Hopkinton, and after- 
wards of Salisbury, Grace resided with her more or less of 
the time till her marriage with Mr. Webster, May 29, 1808, 
at her sister's house in Salisbury. Grace is reputed to have 
been very handsome, and a certain Henniker young man is 
said to have become insane on account of her rejection of 
his addresses. In public life, she was distinguished for her 
ladylike accomplishments. While on her way to Washing- 
ton, in 1827, she was taken ill in New York and forced to 
return to her home in Marshfield, Mass., where she died on 
the the 21st of the next January. 

Alonzo J. Fogg, the son of Jeremiah Fogg and Mercy 
James, was born in Enfield, August 29, 1823. In early life, 
he attended the Newport academy. In the course of his 
life he has resided at Newport, Exeter, Concord, Hopkin- 
ton, Troy, N. Y., and Northwood. He resided in Hopkin- 
ton from 1874 to 1877. He was a supervisor of Northwood 
in 1855 and 1856, register of deeds of Rockingham county 
from 1860 to 1863, clerk of the war department from 1863 
to 1865, sergeant at arms of New Hampshire house of repre- 
sentatives in 1871, New Hampshire bank commissioner in 
1872, 1875, and 1876. He is the author of the " Statistical 
Gazeteer of New Hampshire." He has been a statistical 
writer for papers and a lecturer before societies many years. 
He was for a time in the employ of the Troy & Boston 
Railroad, at Troy, N. Y. While in Hopkinton he gave 
much attention to local history. In 1847, September 24, 
Mr. Fogg married Mary A. Lancaster, daughter of Jona- 
than Lancaster and Mary Fellows, of Northwood. They 
have had children, — Elgion, J. A., J. Austin, Bliss W., 
Lizzie B. 

Jonathan Fowler, the virtual founder of the Union 
(Freewill) Baptist church, of Contoocook, was born in 
Hopkinton, April 11, 1764, and always resided in his 
native town. He was a prominent member of the First 
Baptist church, Hopkinton, but when the schism arose 
between Calvinism and the doctrine of Freewill, Deacon 
Fowler led off the party that organized the church in Con- 
toocook. See chapter on Ecclesiastical History in Part I 
of this work. 

Deacon Fowler was a man of public talents, and often 



374 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

preached, attended funerals, and performed similar religious 
offices. His father was Jeremiah Fowler, and his mother 
was Mary Woodwell, of historic memory, on account of her 
capture by the Indians in 1746. See Chapter X of Part I 
of this work. Deacon Fowler lived many years on the road 
leading from Contoocook to Tyler's bridge, in the house 
where now lives George L. Ordway, the situation being 
about a mile from Contoocook. 

In 1784, Jonathan Fowler married Hannah Eastman, 
daughter of Thomas Eastman and Eunice Chase, of Hopkin- 
ton. They had eleven children, — Mary, born Feb. 15, 1785 ; 
Thomas, born Nov. 13, 1786 ; Nicholas, born Aug. 29, 1788 ; 
Timothy, born June 19, 1790 ; Ruth, born March 7, 1792 ; 
Joanna G., born Feb. 12, 1794 ; Jeremiah, born Feb. 23, 
1796 ; Eunice, born Feb. 6, 1798 ; Betsey, born Feb. 10, 
1801 ; Martha, born April 3, 1803 ; Chase, born Sept. 3, 
1806. 

Dea. Jonathan Fowler died Sept. 7, 1840, aged 76. His 
wife died May 19, 1858, aged 91. 

Jeremiah Fowler, the son of Dea. Jonathan Fowler 
and Hannah Eastman, was born in Hopkinton, February 
23, 1796. In 1826, he moved to Concord, where he died a 
few years ago. He learned the trade of a mason. In mili- 
tia days, he was a captain of rifles, and, in civil life, a num- 
ber of years a selectman. In the spring of 1815 he went 
on foot from Hopkinton to Fort George, on the Niagara 
river, where he worked as a mason on the fort during the 
summer, returning on foot in the fall. The next year he 
made the same trip in the same manner. In 1821, February 
11, Mr. Fowler married Dorothy J. Morrill, daughter of 
Benjamin Morrill and Mary Howe, of Hopkinton. They 
had children, — Martha Mc, born December 13, 1821 ; 
Mary Jackson, born December 3, 1828. 

Reuben French, an early merchant of Hopkinton, was 
born in this town in 1767, being a son of Henry and Lydia 
French. He lived in Warner a short time, but most of his 
life was spent in Hopkinton. He married Sarah Stevens, 
daughter of Cutting Stevens, of Salisbury. They had chil- 
dren, — Henry, Harrison, Reuben Edward. 

Mr. French died in 1817. His father appears to have 
come to this town from Kingston, being the progenitor of a 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 375 

large family of descendants in Hopkinton. Henry French 
died December 13, 1809, aged 68. 

Reuben Edward French, many years a prominent 
business man, was born in Hopkinton, April 6, 1808, being 
a son of Reuben French and Sarah Stevens. When the 
subject of this sketch was born, his father was a merchant 
of Hopkinton village, doing business in a store that stood 
where the rear end of Kimball & Co.'s store now is. In 
1816, Reuben French moved his family to a spot about a 
mile from the village, on the Henniker road, where Horatio 
J. Chandler now resides. Here Reuben E. French lived 
till 1834, when he married, and moved into the village, 
where he resided till his death. 

When about seventeen years of age, he began business 
for himself. Possessing a taste for trade, he began buy- 
ing cattle for the Brighton, Mass., market. The experi- 
ment proved remunerative, and he continued the business 
about twenty-five years. At the end of that time, he aban- 
doned the occupation of a drover, and began pork-packing 
at Nashua. However, he packed pork only in the winter, 
while the summer was spent at home or in the West. Fif- 
teen years were occupied in this way, the hogs at first being 
supplied by the farmers of New Hampshire and Vermont, 
but afterwards by the West. The pork was sold to differ- 
ent purchasers in New England. 

In 1860, Mr. French turned his attention to the flour 
trade, locating a store in Concord. Previously to this, he 
had sold thousands of barrels of flour on commission for 
Western merchants. He made a specialty of the flour trade 
for twelve years, having at first Albert Webster, of Con- 
cord, for a partner, and afterwards Joseph Cochran. 

During many years of his residence in Hopkinton village, 
Mr. French made a specialty of an annual sale of cattle by 
auction, the stock being supplied principally or wholly 
from Vermont. In this way, from 250 to 300 cattle were 
annually disposed of in the fall, and for a long time 
French's sale was one of the established features of the 
year. Incidentally, Mr. French dealt at times in sheep, 
which he drove to market or slaughtered at home. 

Mr. French never made a specialty of political ambition, 
but he was elected representative to the General Court in 
1869 and 1870. For many years before his death, he resided 



376 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

on the farm, at the west of the village, that was formerly 
the property of Judge John Harris. 

On Thanksgiving Day, 1834, Reuben E. French married 
Sarah Chase, daughter of Robert and Sarah Chase of Dun- 
barton. They had six children, — Edward Delvan, Robert 
Chase, Charles, Magarette Ann, Clara, and Maria Louisa. 

Reuben E. French died April 1, 1888. Mrs. French died 
May 1, 1868. 

Edward D. French, the son of Reuben E. French and 
Sarah Chase, was born in Hopkinton, August 31, 1836. 
His home has always been in Hopkinton. For many years 
he has operated as a meat merchant. In 1878 and 1880, he 
was a supervisor of the check-list. 

In 1857, December 2, Mr. French married Jennie Stevens, 
of Hopkinton, daughter of Dr. Eben Stevens and Lena 
Temple. They have had children, — Emma Gertrude, Chas. 
L., Willie T., Robert K., Clarence F., Edward C, Herbert 
J., Clara M. 

Eben French, the son of Ebenezer French and Mollie 
Morrill, was born in South Hampton, January 8, 1793. 
When about thirty years old, he came to Hopkinton, where 
he resided till his death about fifteen years ago. He is said 
to have been a quartermaster-sergeant in the War of 1812. 

His first wife was Nancy Merrill, of South Hampton. 
His second wife was Hannah B. Weeks, daughter of Will- 
iam and Sarah Cotta Cotton Weeks, of Hopkinton, whom 
he married February 28, 1844. By his first wife, Mr. French 
had children, — Mary A., Eben, Emily, Hannah, Addie M., 
Edward M., Sarah J. ; by his second, John L. 

Thomas S. French, the son of Jonathan French and 
Sarah Stickney, was born in Hopkinton, December 17, 1793, 
and his home was here till his death, April 9, 1868. He 
was a farmer, who lived many years on the road leading 
from Amos Fry's to Farrington's Corner, where Forrest 
Colby now lives. He was a deacon of the Congregational 
church nearly thirty years. In 1825, he was a collector of 
town taxes. 

In 1822, Mr. French married Hannah Brown, of Andover, 
daughter of Jonathan and Huntoon. They had chil- 
dren,^ — Sullivan W. and Thomas Scott. 

Mrs. French died June 14, 1887, aged 90. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 377 

Christopher C. French, the son of Levi French and 
Ruth Morse, was born in Loudon, April 10, 1839. In the 
course of his life, he has resided in Epsom, Lynn, Mass., 
Hopkinton, and Henniker. He resided in Hopkinton from 
1865 to 1870. He is a farmer, and the proprietor of Vet- 
erans' Hall, a place of public resort. During the late war, 
Mr. French was a wagoner of the 3d Regiment N. H. V., 
and afterwards a member of the heavy artillery. He has 
been an assessor of Henniker, officer of G. A. R. Post, etc. 
Mr. French has made a specialty of collecting data of the 
French family. 

In December, 1865, Mr. French married Celia P. Way, 
daughter of William Way and Betsey Stockbridge, of Hop- 
kinton, by whom he had children, — Levi W., Arthur L. 

Mrs. French died January 28, 1872, and in 1873, June 8, 
Mr. French married Mary M. Patterson, daughter of Her- 
man Patterson and Mehitable Connor, of Henniker, by 
whom he has had children, — Nettie May, Walter L. 

David Sidney Frost, once a clergyman of Contoocook, 
was born in Glover, Vt., July 14, 1813, being a son of Capt. 
Daniel Frost and Fanny Dike. In early life, lie attended 
school at Lyndon, Vt., Brownington, Vt., and Meriden, 
his home being in Glover till 1833. Devoting his life to 
the ministry of the Freewill Baptist Church, he became the 
pastor of the church in Contoocook in 1842, remaining till 
the early part of 1845. Leaving Contoocook, he resided in 
Newmarket till 1847, when he again moved, occupying 
residences in at least ten different places in New Hampshire 
and Vermont up to the year 1884, when he lived at St. 
Albans, Vt. 

Rev. Mr. Frost was prominent many years in educational 
work. He was agent of the Green Mountain Seminary 
about six years, principal of Holderness academy two 
years, and superintending school-committee in New Hamp- 
shire and Vermont nearly thirty years. In the educa- 
tional and mission work of the church, he was also a long 
time prominently identified. He has been secretary of the 
Educational Society and of its executive board, as well as 
a member of the executive committee of the Foreign and 
Home Mission Boards, being also clerk of the Home Mis- 
sion Society and of its executive board. 

In civil life, Rev. Mr. Frost was many years officially 



378 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

active. He was town-clerk four years, and justice of the 
peace an equal time. In military service, he was promoted, 
being a chaplain three years. In his active life, he was 
specially prominent in temperance and anti-slavery work. 
In 1843, he cast the only Free Soil, or anti-slavery, vote in 
town, and the act caused a great deal of inquiry in respect 
to the identity of the voter. In 1854, he was nominated for 
senator in district number six, by a coalition of Democrats, 
Free Soilers, and Whigs ; but two tickets were thrown into 
the field, one for David S. Frost and one for D. Sidney 
Frost, and in this way a popular choice was prevented. 

During the latter years of his life, the Rev. Mr. Frost 
has suffered the loss of his hearing, and in consequence has 
retired from the ministry, living with his son at Washing- 
ton, N. J. 

In 1842, May 12, Rev. Mr. Frost married Minerva Diana 
Watson, daughter of Rev. Elijah Watson and Rhoda Felch. 
They had two children, — Alphonzo Watson and Frank 
Burns. 

Amos Fi^ye, the son of Amos Frye and Fanny Chandler, 
was born in Andover, Mass., April 4, 1797. When ten 
years of age, he came to Hopkinton, remained a short time, 
went to Concord, and returned to Hopkinton at fifteen. 
When seventeen years of age, he entered the army as a 
voluntary substitute for Charles Parker, and, it being 1814, 
he was stationed at Portsmouth, in Capt. Silas Call's com- 
pany, in Lieut. Col. Jonathan Steele's regiment. While at 
Portsmouth, young Frye suffered severely in consequence 
of hastening to the ranks without a sufficient supply of 
clothing, the expected outfit from the government not being 
at once forthcoming. After his short sojourn at Ports- 
mouth, Amos Frye returned to Hopkinton, went to work, 
and at twenty-one had accumulated $300 by his own indus- 
try and economy. He then moved to Concord, where he 
resided twenty-three years, and then returned to Hopkin- 
ton, where he resided till his death, his home being where 
his son, Amos Frye, now resides. 

When twenty-one years of age, the subject of this sketch 
married Laura Straw, daughter of James Straw, of Hopkin- 
ton. She died in 1843, and Mr. Frye married for a second 
wife Nancy Straw, sister of his first wife, who died in 1873. 
By his first wife, Amos Frye had ten children. Their names 







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AMOS FRYE. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 379 

are Mary Buswell, Martha Flanders, George, Orin Gates, 
James Straw, Laura Ann, Julia Frances, Harriet Elizabeth, 
Amos, William Franklin. 

During his life, Amos Frye enjoyed considerable promi- 
nence. He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1856 and 
1857. He was also once an ensign of militia. In his per- 
sonal bearing, he was a gentleman of the old school. He 
died December 24, 1880. 

Ephraim Davis Fuller, the son of John A. Fuller 
and Mary Davis, was born in Bradford, July 31, 1812. 
From 1814 to 1837 he resided in Hopkinton. He has since 
lived in New Jersey, and at last information was residing 
at Peekskill, N. Y. In early life he qualified himself for a 
teacher, and at length became a surgeon-dentist by diligent 
personal exertion and without pecuniary aid. He has been 
a superintendent of schools in Peekskill, N. Y., and an elder 
in the Presbyterian church. 

In November, 1843, he married Anna Hunt, daughter of 
the Rev. Jesse Hunt, of Peekskill, who bore him children, — 
Jesse Hunt, Mary Ella. Mrs. Hunt died February 4, 1852, 
and Mr. Hunt, in 1853, married Sarah R. Otis, daughter of 
David Otis and Fanny Fowler, of Colchester, Ct. They 
have had children, — Edward Davis, Nelson Otis, Hattie 
Dutten. 

John H. Fuller, the son of John A. Fuller and Mary 
Davis, was born in Hopkinton, December 4, 1818. He re- 
sided in Hopkinton till 1840 ; in Peekskill, N. Y., till 1850 ; 
in Croton Landing till 1854 ; at Fuller's Mills, la., till 1869 ; 
since 1869 he has resided in Earlville, la. He is a real 
estate agent. He has been a superintendent of schools, a 
justice of the peace, and a member of the legislature of Iowa. 

In June, 1842, he married Mary Austin, daughter of 
Robert Austin, of Putnam Valley, N. Y. Her mother's 
maiden name was Downs. They have had children, — 
William R., Mary R., John B. 

John A. Fuller, the son of Abram G. Fuller and Ade- 
line C. Fellows, was born in Bridge water, August 8, 1848. 
When about three years old, he moved to Bristol, where he 
remained till 1856, and then moved to Hopkinton, where 
he has since resided. He attended school at Contoocook 



380 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

academy. Residing many years in Contoocook, Mr. Fuller 
has been justice, notary, insurance agent, etc. He has been 
town-clerk of Hopkinton from 1882 to the present time. 
He was post-master at Contoocook from 1885 to 1889. 

In 1872, April 30, Mr. Fuller married Julia F. Morrill, 
daughter of Jacob M. Morrill and Sarah Abbott, of Hopkin- 
ton. They have one child, — Willie T. 



SECTION XIII. 

GAGE — GUILD. 

Charles Pinckney Gage, a prominent physician of 
New Hampshire, was born in Hopkinton, April 5, 1811, 
being a son of John Gage and Sarah Bickford. His early 
life was spent upon the farm where now lives Stillman B. 
Gage, his brother. Improving such opportunities for edu- 
cation as the lower and higher schools of Hopkinton af- 
forded, Charles Pinckney determined to qualify himself for 
a physician, and began preliminary study in the office of 
Dr. Royal Call, of Contoocook. In 1834, and also in 1835, 
he attended a course of medical lectures at Hanover, and 
the next year, some portion of the time, a course in Pitts- 
field, Mass., and, later in the year, another at Woodstock, 
Vt. In February, 1837, he graduated in Cincinnati, O., 
having been some time in the medical hospital. He con- 
tinued to practice in the hospital till some time in 1838, 
when he returned to New Hampshire and opened an office 
in Concord, where he has since practised. 

Dr. Gage has received a large degree of professional pro- 
motion. He has held every office in the Centre District 
Medical Society, and also in the State Medical Society. 
During the existence of the Governor's Horse Guards, he 
was a surgeon of the organization. He was surgeon of the 
First Regiment N. H. V., during the time it held a rendez- 
vous at Concord in 1861. He has many years been a pen- 
sion examining surgeon. He was a number of years mem- 
ber and surgeon of the school-board of Concord. 

In 1837, Dr. Gage married Nancy G., daughter of Stephen 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 381 

Sibley and Sarah Brown, of Hopkinton. They had two 
children, — Charles Sibley and Mary Agnes. 
Mrs. Gage died October 10, 1887. 

Stillman B. Gage, the son of John Gage and Sarah 
Bickford, was born in Hopkinton, November 11, 1818. 
From 1850 to 1870, he lived in Concord. The rest of his. 
life he has resided in Hopkinton on the homestead of his 
father, being a farmer. He was three years orderly ser- 
geant of the Cold Water Phalanx. 

In 1853, January 3, he married Eliza (Abbott) Carter, 
daughter of Levi Abbott and Mary Carter, of Concord. 

John Frederick Gage, the son of John Gage and 
Nancy Holden Long, was born in Hopkinton, May 28, 1822. 
His home was always in Hopkinton, and his pursuit was 
farmimg. His home was in the Gage district, where his 
son-in-law, Henry P. Dunbar, now lives. Mr. Gage was 
prominent in local musical circles. In militia days, he was 
a martial musician. In later years, he was leader and 
organist of the Congregational choir. He frequently taught 
singing schools. He was for years leader of the Hopkinton 
Cornet Band. 

In 1848, January 28, Mr. Gage married Sarah Elizabeth 
Smith, daughter of Moody Smith and Mary Bailey, of Hop- 
kinton. They had one child, — Mary Elizabeth. 

Mr. Gage died July 27, 1888 ; Mrs. Gage, February 18 r 
1876. 

David Long Gage, the son of John Gage and Nancy 
Holden Long, was born in Hopkinton, October 2, 1837. 
His home was in Hopkinton till a few years ago, when he 
became a resident of Concord. His earlier life was spent 
in farming, but about 1866 he became a merchant in Hop- 
kinton village, continuing ten or fifteen years. With the 
exception of 1873, he was town-clerk of Hopkinton from 
1869 to 1881. He was post-master from 1871 to 1881. For 
a number of years past, he has been stage-driver and mail- 
carrier between Hopkinton and Concord. 

In 1860, November 29, Mr. Gage married Emily Hatch 
Symonds, daughter of Tilton Symonds and Catharine B. 
Dutton, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Edward 
Long, Edith Nancy, Katie Sarah. 



382 LIFE AND TIMES IX HOPKLNTON. 

Alfred P. Gage, the son of Sewall Gage and Eliza Ann 
Morgan, was born in Hopkintou, April 15, 1836. He was 
educated at New London academy and Dartmouth college, 
graduating in 1859. He taught school in North Carolina 
till October, 1864, when the exigencies of war compelled 
him to leave the Confederacy. He was principal of Bunker 
Hill school, Charlestown, Mass., from 1865 to 1870 ; master 
of the English department of Charlestown high school from 
1870 to 1875; master and instructor in physics in English 
high school, Boston, Mass., from 1875 to the present time. 
Professor Gage is the author of several works upon physics. 
In 1882, he established a manufactory of philosophical ap- 
paratus, the products of his manufacture being largely his 
own inventions. 

In 1859, September 20, Alfred P. Gage married Mary E. 
Prescott, daughter of James Prescott and Polly Adams 
Cram, of Deerfield. They have had children, — Edward 
Cowles, Mary Rosetta, Frank Harlan, Laura White, Charles 
Alfred, Sewall John, Grace, James Prescott. 

HARLAN P. Gage, the son of Sewall Gage and Eliza 
Ann Morgan, was born in Hopkintou, February 3, 1843. 
He was educated at New London academy, Dartmouth col- 
lege, and Rochester university. Devoting his life to teach- 
ing, he was sub-master of the Dearborn school, Boston, 
Mass., from 1868 to 1882. and master of the same from 1882 
to 1887 : since 1887, lie has been master of the Hugh O'Brien 
school, Boston. Mr. Gage has been two years grand pro- 
tector of the Knights and Ladies of Honor of Massachu- 
setts, being subsequently supreme protector of the order in 
the United States for six years. 

Mr. Gage married M. Narzette Colby, daughter of Dea. 
Timothy Colby, of Hopkintou. Thev had children, — Tim- 
othy C, Eliza M., Hugh, Guy H., Myra N. 

Mrs. Gage died December 10, 1SS7. 

John Frederick Gage, David Long Gage, Alfred P. Gage, 
and Harlan P. Gage are all descendants of John Gage, of 
Rowley, Mass., who was a soldier of the Revolution, being 
in the service three times. He came to Hopkintou, and 
died June 29, 1812, aged 58. 

PAUL R. George, the son of John George and Ruth 
Bradlev, was born in Concord, August 25, 1807. He was 





S<&~4 



^<_ 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 383 

educated in the public schools of Concord, and at length 
became the landlord of the Columbian hotel, which public 
house he conducted a number of years, and then opened a 
large dry goods establishment in Lowell, Mass., in company 
with his cousin, Charles L. Emery. Quitting business on 
account of ill health, he sojourned for a time in the South, 
and subsequently was appointed to a position in the Boston, 
Mass., custom-house, under the collectorship of the Hon. 
David Henshaw, being subsequently naval store-keeper at 
Brooklyn, N. Y., under the administration of President Ty- 
ler. In the event of the Mexican war, he was made quar- 
ter-master of Colonel Cushing's Massachusetts regiment, 
and served during the war. The Mexican war ended, 
Captain George spent several years in business in New York 
city, and then purchased the farm in Contoocook which his 
widow now owns, and on which he resided till his death, 
except when temporarily absent. In 1855, he represented 
Hopkinton in the state legislature, and subsequently trav- 
elled extensively in Europe. Upon the event of the Rebel- 
lion, he was active in the work of aiding in the preparation 
of the early New Hampshire regiments for service in the 
field. His great executive ability induced Gen. Benjamin 
F. Butler to select him as his division quarter-master, and 
as such he fitted out the expedition to New Orleans, though 
for political reasons he was not confirmed in his office. 
Returning to Contoocook, he died on the 29th of February, 
1864. 

In 1855, March 20, Captain George married Caroline 
Livingston, daughter of William Livingston and Mary Ann 
Johnson, of Lowell, Mass. 

(The foregoing is mainly condensed from a sketch by the 
late Col. John H. George.) 

Trueworthy Gilman, a native of Gilmanton, was born 
in 1797. In the course of his life, he resided in Concord 
and Hopkinton. In Hopkinton, he was a merchant, whose 
store was in a building that is now the north end of that 
occupied by Kimball & Co. In 1847, Mr. Gilman was a 
Hopkinton selectman. He died March 31, 1853. 

Mr. Gilman married Mary Clarke, of Hopkiuton, his first 
wife, who died in 1843. 

For a second wife, he married Margaret Hall, daughter 
of Richard Hall, of Hopkinton. She died at Anaheim, 



884 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Cal., at the home of their only child, Richard H. Gilman, 
in 1877. 

George K. Goodrich, the son of Samuel Goodrich and 
Esther Kidder, was born in Springfield, Vt., December 28, 
1808. In the course of his life, he has resided in Manches- 
ter, Boston, Mass., Troy, N. Y., Walpole, and Hopkinton, 
being a merchant or farmer. In 1850, he went to Cal- 
ifornia, where he remained three years, being a participant 
of the pioneer life then prevailing there. He has been a 
justice of the peace and quorum thirty years. In 1878, he 
was a supervisor of the Hopkinton check-list. 

Mr. Goodrich has been thrice married. In November, 
1836, he married Elizabeth Scott, daughter of George Scott, 
of St. John's, Canada. She died in May, 1837. In 1838, 
May 24, he married Frances Adeline (Whitman) Willard, 
daughter of Thomas Whitman and Sophia Williams, of 
Boston, Mass. They had children, — Georgianna N., Sophia 
Williams, William H., Arthur Tebbets, Mary Greenleaf, 
Helen Howard, Lerman Rowe. His second wife died May 
5, 1862, and Mr. Goodrich married Lydia Lord, daughter 
of Charles Lord and Sarah Hubbard, of Hopkinton. They 
have children, — Florence A., Charles Samuel, Henry Wil- 
son, John Prescott. 

Nathaniel Goold, one of the early settlers of Chicago, 
111., died in that city in 1887. A Chicago newspaper thus, 
spoke of him after his decease : " He was born in Hopkin- 
ton, N. H., March 22, 1814, and was married to Miss Bessie 
Blake, who survives him, December 31, 1835. He arrived 
in Chicago July 12, 1838, on the old steamboat Madison, 
although he did not locate here until July of the year fol- 
lowing. He was at the time of his death the only surviving 
charter member of Dearborn Lodge, F. and A. M. Besides 
his wife, he leaves three children, Mrs. E. F. Dyke and 
John E. Goold, of Chicago, and Mrs. Charles Reed, of Min- 
neapolis." 

Moses Gould, the son of Moses Gould and Joanna 
Davis, was born in Hopkinton, October 12, 1779, and re- 
sided here all his life. He was a prosperous and enterpris- 
ing farmer, and a captain of militia. 

His wife was Hannah Currier, daughter of Daniel Cur- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 385 

rier and Abigail Chase, of Warner. They bad children, — 
Joanna (born March, 1809), Abigail, Hannah, Charles and 
Martha (twins), born March 8, 1828. 

Moses Gould died November 10, 1854; his wife, Novem- 
ber 29, 1861. 

Charles Gould, the son of Moses Gould and Hannah 
Currier, was born in Hopkinton, March 8, 1823, and has 
always resided in this town, being a fanner, occupying the 
estate where he was born. In early life, he attended Hop- 
kinton academy, and subsequently gave much attention to 
local educational matters. For many years, he was fre- 
quently teacher of district schools, lie was a member of the 
superintending school-committee in 1849, 1850, 185(>, 1865, 
1872, and 1873. Mr. Gould has also been prominent in 
other spheres of official life. He was once adjutant of the 
40th Regiment of N. H. Militia, with the rank of captain. 
In 1859, he was a selectman of the town. He has also been 
prominent in the Patrons of Husbandry. 

In 1847, November 4, Mr. Gould married Ruth Hill, 
daughter of Thomas Hill and Ruth Flood, of Hopkinton. 
They have living children, — Moses C, Louis A., C. Henry, 
Clara I., Robert T., Helen A., Herbert J. 

Louis A. Gould, the son of Charles Gould and Ruth 
Hill, was born in Hopkinton, April 26, 1852. He attended 
school at Contoocook academy. Choosing the medical pro- 
fession, he attended the Syracuse (N. Y.) University two 
years, and graduated at the Detroit (Mich.) Medical Col- 
lege in 1880. beginning practice at Ovid, N. Y., the same 
year. In 1889, he bought the situation formerly owned by 
Dr. W. \V. Wheeler, at Farmer Village, where he has since 
resided. Dr. Gould was president of the Seneca County 
Medical Society in 1887 and 1888; he has been nine years 
coroner of Seneca count v. 

In 1882, May 27, Dr. Gould married Hannah B. Jones, 
daughter of Louis Jones and -lane Banker, of Romulus, 
N. Y. The}' have one child, — Louis Arthur. 

Aaron Greeley, the son of Jonathan Greeley and 

Martha French, was born in East Kingston, March 30, 1745. 

In 1705, he came to Hopkinton, where he resided till his 

death, September 14, 1813. His home in Hopkinton was 

24 



386 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

in the Sugar Hill district. He was a land surveyor, whose 
services were frequently in demand in the earlier history of 
the town. He was prominent in political circles. He was 
the first representative of the town under the state consti- 
tution in 1784. He was also representative in 1786. He 
was town-clerk from 1792 to 1803 ; selectman, in 1771, 
1782, 1786, 1789, 1791, and continuously afterwards till 
1806. He was a member of the state constitutional con- 
vention of 1791. He was publicly known as Captain 
Greeley. 

Captain Greeley was twice married. His first wife was 
Phoebe Dow, whom he married November 30, 1769 ; his 

second, Susanna , whom he married October 5, 1772. 

The following were children of Aaron Greeley : Aaron, 
born 1773 ; Eleazer, born 1775 ; Nathan, born 1777 ; Jona- 
than, born 1779: Susan and Phoebe (twins), born 1781; 
Martha, born 1784 ; Hannah, born 1787 ; David, born 1789. 

Edward H. Greeley, the son of Edward Greeley and 
Hannah Eaton, was born in Hopkinton, April 23, 1817. In 
early life, he attended Kimball Union Academy, Meriden. 
He graduated at Dartmouth college in 1845. He was next 
teacher of Atkinson academy about a year. He graduated 
at Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminary in 1849. He was 
ordained pastor of the Congregational church in Haverhill, 
November 7, 1849. In 1858, he became pastor of the Pearl 
Street church, Nashua; in 1861, of the church in Methuen, 
Mass., leaving Methuen in 1866 ; financial agent of Kimball 
Union Academy in 1867 ; in 1868, a second time pastor of 
the church in Haverhill ; in 1874, secretary of the N. H. 
Home Missionary Society. In 1871, he was made a trustee 
of Kimball Union Academy. Since 1874, he has resided at 
Concord. 

In 1850, May 7, Rev. Mr. Greeley married Jane Jewett 
Richards, daughter of Moses Richards and Hannah Hale, 
of Rowley, Mass. In 1854, June 6, he married Louisa 
Maria Ware, daughter of Reuben Ware and Lydia Smith, 
of Ashburnham, Mass. Rev. Mr. Greeley has had chil- 
dren, — Edward Addison, Herbert Ware, William Bradford, 
Arthur Phillips, Jennie Lincoln. 

Samuel Greene, son of Nathaniel Greene, was born in 
Concord, March 7, 1770. He read law with his brother, 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 387 

Peter Greene, and began practice in Concord in 1793. 
From 1819 to 1840, he was an associate justice of the N. H. 
supreme court of judicature. About 1833, he came to Hop- 
kinton, where he resided about four years. Subsequently 
to 1840, he obtained a governmental clerkship in Washing- 
ton, D. C , where he died March 22, 1851, aged 81. 

Samuel Greene was thrice married. Ann N., wife of 
Judge Greene, who died February 10, 1834, lies buried by 
his side in the old village cemetery of Hopkinton. While 
living in Hopkinton, Judge Greene resided in the house 
now occupied by Herman Wells Greene, his grandson. 

Herman H. Greene, the son of Samuel Greene and 
Lucretia Flagg, was born in Concord, April 31, 1802. In 
early life, he went to Portsmouth and entered the counting- 
room of Alexander Ladd, a merchant. While at Ports- 
mouth, he was frequently sent on errands to the vessels 
lying at the wharves, and the associations thus contracted 
awakened a desire for maritime life. Determined to be a 
sailor, he began his career b} r going before the mast. 
Adaptation and faithfulness secured him promotion, and 
and he at length advanced to the position of captain of an 
East Indiaman. He followed the uninterrupted life of a 
sailor till about 1838, in the meanwhile, among other voy- 
ages, making several trips to Calcutta. 

Leaving the sea, he entered into business in the whole- 
sale grocery line in Bangor, Me., where he stayed two or 
three years, and then came to reside in Hopkinton. While 
living here, he became imbued with the "California fever," 
which broke out in 1849. In November, 1851, he took out 
a company by the way of Cape Horn, in the ship Leonora, 
which he commanded. Arrived in San Francisco, the ship 
was sold. An interesting fact in this connection is, that 
on this trip the Leonora took out to California the first 
steamboat used on that coast. The craft, however, proved 
too small for use in the waters between San Franciso and 
Sacramento, where it was intended to ply. While in Cali- 
fornia, Captain Greene mostly superintended certain hy- 
draulic mining works. During this absence from home, 
however, he made a trip to Australia, returning with a cargo 
of coal and grain. At the end of four or five years, he re- 
turned home to Hopkinton, to remain till his death, which 
took place very suddenly on the 8th of January, 1862. 



388 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In 1834, June 12, Captain Greene married Ellen C. Lit- 
tle, daughter of Maj. William Little and Elizabeth Wiggin, 
of Hopkintou. They had four children, of whom two lived to 
maturity. They were Herman Wells and Sarah Cazenove. 

Herman Wells Greene, a resident lawyer, was born 
in Hopkinton, April 11, 1836, being a son of Herman H. 
Greene and Ellen C. Little. He was educated at Hopkin- 
ton, Gilmanton, and Pembroke academies. Deciding to 
pursue the profession of the law, he studied for a time in 
the office of George & Foster, at Concord, but at the age of 
19 he went to Boston, Mass., and completed his prepara- 
tory course in the office of Beard & Nickerson. On the 
day of his majority, he was admitted to the Suffolk county 
bar in Massachusetts, and began practice with Charles E. 
Pike. He afterwards practised with Ithamar W. Beard 
and James P. Sullivan. 

After about eight years in practice in Boston, Mr. Greene 
returned to Hopkinton, his health being impaired, and for a 
time suspended the activities of his profession, resuming 
practice again in 1869. In 1871, and for a number of years 
afterwards, he practised in company with Carlos G. Haw- 
thorne. 

Mr. Greene is an active politician, and has frequently 
been the incumbent of civil office. He has been moderator 
of town-meeting in 1864 and 1865, from 1874 to 1881, and 
from 1885 to 1889 ; superintending school-committee in 
1872 and 1873, and in 1876 and in 1877 ; representative in 
1881 and 1889. He was solicitor of Merrimack county 
from 1876 to 1881. In later years, he has frequently 
spoken during the season of political campaigns, to audi- 
ences in various parts of the state. 

In 1854, February 20, Mr. Greene married Frances Ade- 
line Willard, of Hopkinton. She was a daughter of Henry 
A. Willard and Frances Adeline Whitman, of Boston, 
Mass. They had one son, — Willard Tebbets. Mrs. Greene 
died March 2, 1873. 

In 1877, September 18, Mr. Greene married Anstice 
Irene Clarke, of Hopkinton. She is a daughter of Daniel 
W. Clarke and Ruhama Cochran. 

James A. D. W. Gregg, a former physician of Hopkin- 
ton, is said to have been a native of Unity. He came to 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 389 

Hopkinton about 1833, remaining to about 1846, when he 
went to Manchester. He is said to have died in Newport. 
While in Hopkinton he was prominent in the early temper- 
ance reform. He was appointed surgeon's mate of the 40th 
regiment of N. H. Militia in 1842 and surgeon in 1843. 

Dr. Gregg had at least four children, — De Witt, Lon- 
vancia, Unice, Sarah. 

Edmund R. Guild, the son of Israel Guild and Sarah 
Gould, was born in Hartford, Vt., January 1, 1836. In 
1861, he was living in Manchester and enlisted in the 7th 
N. H. V., serving till December, 1865. He was a corporal. 
He was at Fort Wagner, Morris Island, Drury's Bluff, 
Petersburg, and Fort Olustee. Since the war he has lived 
in Hopkinton. 

He married Abby M. Story, daughter of Luther Story 
and Mary Crowell, of Hopkinton. They have children, — 
Fred S., Frank E., Grace E. 



SECTION XIV. 

HALE — HARRINGTON. 

John Hale, a Revolutionary soldier, was born in Hales- 
town, now Weare, and in early manhood was a resident of 
Hopkinton, his home being in the Sugar Hill district on 
the old, unoccupied homestead now owned by Benjamin 
O. Kimball. Upon the event of the Revolution, John Hale 
became the lieutenant of a company commanded by Captain 
Baldwin, of Hillsborough, at Bunker Hill. Early in the 
battle, Captain Baldwin was killed, and Lieutenant Hale 
assumed command of the company, being ultimately pro- 
moted to captain by General Washington. Captain Hale 
was several years in the service, and in 1777, in September, 
marched a company from Hopkinton to join the Northern 
Continental Army at Saratoga. ' This company was in 
Lieut. Col. Henry Gerrish's regiment. In 1779, he appears 
to have been at home, having served as a selectman that 
year. 

Captain Hale married Olive Blake, daughter of Maj. 
Henry Blake, of Hopkinton, who lived where John W. 



390 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Paige now resides. The following were their children : 
Daniel, born August 23, 1774 ; Mary, born Feburary 16, 
1781 ; John, born April 25, 1783 ; Moses, born May 15, 
1786 ; Olive, born July 14, 1790. They are also said to 
have had a son Jacob. 

The following is a record of the death of Captain Hale 
taken from the Hopkinton clerk's book : 

Capt. John Hale Died March 3th, 1792, being forty Nine 
Years and Six Months old, after a Number of years Sickness With 
an uncommon Diseas which the Phisitions Could Not account for. 

This " uncommon Diseas" was the occasion of much 
mysterious speculation. Absurd reports were circulated of 
a subtle poison applied by an enemy. The most sensible 
theory of this case advanced ascribed Captain Hale's sick- 
ness to camp dysentery, or chronic diarrhoea, though he 
might have had incidental symptoms of other diseases. The 
following paper is of interest in this connection : 

I do hereby certify that John Hale of Hopkinton was a captain 
in the Regiment Commanded by John Stark, Esqr. in the Hamp- 
shire Troops in the year 1776 ; That in the march from Ticonder- 
oga to Pensylvenia he was left Sick at Albany & continued some 
time. Afterwards, in attempting to Join his Regiment, he had a 
relapse of his fever and was left at Springfield in Pensylvenia, from 
which Sickness he was confined & unable to return untill the 
winter of 1777 ; & I have also been acquainted with him ever 
since & believe he has not had a well day from that day to this. 

Caleb Starke, Adjutant 

To the 2d. N. H. Regt., 1776. 

Concord, Sept. 13th, 1791. 

It appears that Captain Hale was at one time offered the 
commission of a major in the Continental service during 
the Revolution, but he declined the honor, as the following 
document attests : 

Hopkinton March y e 3 d 1777 — 
Hon d Sir — 

I am informed by Cap 1 Livermore that you have wrote 
me two Letters neither of which has com to hand I acknowledg my- 
self much indebted to you for the Hon r you have done me in 
appointing me to the office of maj r — when I consider the impor- 
tance of the post & how much I fall short in filling it my Except- 
ing would rather Injure then help that Service which I have much 
at heart. I am also settled in a New Country Distant from Neigh- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 391 

bors & must be under the Disagreeable necessity of breaking up 
house keeping which will almost put me in a ruinous Condition. 
Humbly beg you d be pleased to appoint Some other person in my 
Room & am Gentleman your most obedient & very Humble Serv' — 

John Hale — 

A powder-horn, carried by Captain Hale in the Revolu- 
tion, is now in the possession of Joseph Barnard, of Hop- 
kinton, whose father married Captain Hale's widow. 

King S. Hall, once pastor of the Baptist church in this 
town, was born in Groton, October 22, 1819, being a son 
of Josiah Hall and Sarah (White) Ferren. In 1839, he 
entered the academical department of the New Hampton 
Institute, and was graduated from the Theological School 
of the same in 1845, having five years previously been 
licensed as a preacher of the Baptist denomination. On 
April 22, 1846, he was ordained pastor of the Hopkinton 
Baptist church, remaining here five years. From 1851 to 
1859, he resided at Lake Village, being four years the Bel- 
knap county member of the State Board of Education, secre- 
tary of the same in 1855 and chairman in 1858. A year later 
he removed to Manchester, where he was settled over the 
Merrimack street church three years. Afterward he was five 
years at Methuen, Mass., then back at Lake Village ; at Rum- 
ney eleven years, and then at Lake Village, where he died. 
In his later life greatly impaired health permitted him to 
do only occasional pastoral work. For ten years he was 
secretary and treasurer of the New Hampshire Pastoral 
Association. He was seven years a trustee of the state 
normal school, and had also filled the same position in the 
New Hampshire Baptist convention, the New London acad- 
emy, and the New Hampton Institute. Dartmouth college 
conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Arts, 
and the Central University of Iowa, that of Doctor of 
Divinity. While in Hopkinton, the subject of this sketch 
was a member of the superintending school-committee in 
1846 and 1848. 

In 1847, July 30, Rev. Mr. Hall married Ann Elizabeth 
Buswell, daughter of Dr. Caleb Buswell and Eliza Follans- 
bee, of Warner. 

The Rev. Mr. Hall died April 9, 1888. 



392 LIFE AND TIMES IN H0PK1NT0N. 

Charles Hardon, many years a well known minister 
of the New Jerusalem (or Swedenborgian) church, was born 
in Mansfield, Mass., January 2, 1834, being a son of Nathan 
Hardon and Sally Hodges. Until he was seventeen years 
of age, the subject of this sketch divided his efficient time 
between the farm and the school, and then entered Amherst 
college, in Massachusetts, where he graduated in 1855. 
Leaving college, he entered upon the work of a teacher, 
and spent a year in the Delaware Literary Institute, at 
Franklin. His health being now impaired, he returned to 
his home in Mansfield and worked two years upon the 
farm. In the year 1858, he resumed intellectual pursuits, 
and, deciding upon the vocation of the ministry, he entered 
Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminary, where he stayed 
only about three months, and then went to Oberlin (Ohio) 
Theological School, where he remained about six months. 
He then returned home, worked on the farm, studied and 
preached until 1862, being at the time a member of the 
Christian church in Mansfie*ld, where he preached about 
six months. During this period of his life, he supplied the 
pulpit of the Wesleyan Methodist church about nine months. 
In the year 1861, Mr. Hardon became a reader of the relig- 
ious and theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg, and he 
soon decided to devote himself to the ministry of the New 
Church, as it is popularly called. In July, 1862, he joined 
the church in North Bridgewater, now Brockton, Mass., 
and in August went to Urbana, O., and became a teacher 
in the New Church school there, at the same time conduct- 
ing the< services of the Urbana church. In 1863, he was 
made a licentiate of the New Church, and, in December, 
1865, he was ordained by the Rev. J. R. Hibbard, of Chi- 
cago, 111. He continued to preach in Urbana till the close 
of the year 1865, when he went to St. Louis, Mo., where 
he remained till July, 1867. Being then called home to 
the bedside of his sick father, who died soon after, he 
preached in the vicinity of Mansfield till some time the 
following year. • 

In October, 1868, Mr. Hardon was employed as' a mis- 
sionary of the Massachusetts New Church Union, continu- 
ing in that service till October, 1871, when he was settled 
over the New Church in Contoocook, where for a number 
of years he preached and assumed the duties of preceptor 
of Contoocook academy. In later years, he has followed 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 393 

miscellaneous pursuits, being a member of the Hopkinton 
superintending school-committee from 1872 to 1875, and 
again in 1883. During his ministerial career, the Rev. Mr. 
Hard on published a lengthy list of tracts upon the doctrines 
of the New Church. 

In 1863, August 12, Charles Hardon married Mary Cath- 
cart, of Urbana, O., the daughter of David Cathcart and 
Charlotte Sherwin. She having died, December 8, 1866, 
in 1868, July 12, Mr. Hardon married Clara A. McGlathry, 
of Southbridge, Mass., daughter of William Henry Mc- 
Glathry and Flavilla Dodge. She having deceased, March 

13, 1870, in 1871, September 29, he married her sister, 
Annie Eaton McGlathry, of Searsport, Me. Mr. Hardon 
has had four children, — by his first wife, Charles Henry, 
Lottie Sherwin ; by his second, Rachel Elizabeth ; by his 
third, Annie May. 

Benjamin Hardy, the son of Benjamin Hardy and Re- 
becca Rolfe, was born in Bradford, Mass., March 8, 1753. 
He resided in Stoddard, Hudson, Peterborough, Warner, 
and Hopkinton, in this state. He came to Hopkinton in 
1804, and resided till 1839. He was a farmer. He was a 
Revolutionary soldier, being at Bunker Hill, at Bennington, 
and at the burning of the British vessel Vulture, under 
General Putnam. 

He married Phoebe Hardy, daughter of Gideon Hardy, 
by whom he had children, — Benjamin, born November 4, 
1780 ; Rebecca R., born April 5, 1788. Mrs. Hardy died 
June 19, 1823, and Mr. Hardy, during the next November, 
married Mary (Melvin) Gale, of Weare, who died January 

14, 1852, aged 81 

Mr. Hardy died January 8, 1839. Mr. Hardy's family 
seems to have given the name to Hardy's Corner, in the 
north-west part of Hopkinton. 

Benjamin Hardy, the son of Benjamin Hardy and Sa- 
rah Clark, was born in Hopkinton, May 12, 1803. He was 
a farmer, and always resided in this town. He was one 
year a captain of militia. In 1835, November 12, he mar- 
ried Lydia Putney, of Hopkinton, who bore him one son, — 
Carlos F. Mr. Hardy died July 2, 1886 ; his wife, October 
14,1881. 



394 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Carlos F. Hardy, the son of Benjamin Hardy and 
Lydia Putney, was born in Hopkinton, November 5, 1836. 
He has always lived in Hopkinton, and he is a farmer by 
vocation. In 1868, he was a selectman of the town. 

In 1863, December 9, Mr. Hardy married Olevia John- 
son, daughter of Nathan Johnson and Climena Clogston, of 
Manchester. They have children, — James F., Ella M. 

Da vn> Hardy, the son of Stephen Hardy and Mary 
Joseph, was born in Stoddard, where he resided from 1794 
to 1805. He lived in Warner from 1805 to 1810, and the 
rest of his life in Hopkinton. As a laborer, he lived in over 
125 different families in Warner and Hopkinton. 

In 1813, February 1, Mr. Hardy enlisted as a soldier, and 
was located in Capt. Joseph Smith's company, Col. Aquilla 
Davis's regiment, that marched from Concord to Burling- 
ton, Vt., in the spring of that year. 

In 1824, April 1, Mr. Hardy married Sarah Hardy Annis, 
daughter of Isaac Annis and Phoebe Hardy, of Warner, 
They had one child, — Lucitta M. 

Mr. Hardy died June 18, 1882; his wife, December 25, 
1868. 

Isaac Hardy was born in Nottingham in 1794. He 
lived in Nottingham, Warner, and Hopkinton. He died 
August 8, 1851. He was a lieutenant of cavalry in militia 
days. He was a farmer. His wife was Hannah Bodwell, 
who died April 1, 1880, aged 93. His children were Tyler 
B., George B., Hannah B., Cynthia. Mr. Hardy's mother 
was Lydia Burbank, daughter of Samuel Burbank, captured 
by Indians at Woodwell's garrison in 1746. 

Tyler B. Hardy, the son of Isaac Hardy and Hannah 
Bodwell, was born in Warner, October 15, 1807. Since 
four years of age he has lived in Hopkinton, with the ex- 
ception of one year in Bow and two in Concord. In the 
course of his life, he has followed the vocation of farming, 
lumbering, and brick-making. In former militia days he 
was the incumbent of various military offices. He served 
as sergeant, lieutenant, and captain of rifles, and as lieuten- 
ant-colonel of the 40th regiment. He was promoted to 
colonel, but declined the office. Mr. Hardy has lived many 
years in Contoocook. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 395 

In 1837, September 16, Tyler B. Hardy married Almira 
C. Carr, daughter of John Carr and Abigail Williams, of 
Hopkinton. She died August 8, 1889. 

George Bodwell Hardy, the son of Isaac Hardy and 
Hannah Bodwell, was born in Hopkinton. October 8. 1809. 
He followed the occupation of a farmer, living in Hopkin- 
ton till 1830, when he went to Davisville, Warner, where 
he lived eight years. He then returned to the village of 
Contoocook, where he continued to reside till his death, 
his home being where his widow now resides. 

Mr. Hardy was a citizen of integrity and repute, and 
was frequently the vehicle of public trust. He was collect- 
or of taxes in 1814, 1853, 1861, and 1866 ; selectman in 
1846, 1847, 1855, 1869, and 1870. In 1859, he was made a 
deputy sheriff of Merrimack county, continuing in office 
the larger part of twenty years. 

Mr. Hardy was twice married. His first wife was Han- 
nah Currier Davis, of Warner, the daughter of Stephen 
and Deborah (Doe) Davis, whom he married September 
14, 1837. She died October 9, 1869. 

They had one daughter, Susie June. Mr. Hardy married 
for a second wife, Mrs. Laura Bartlett Davis, on the 28th 
of June, 1876. She was the widow of Dudley B. Davis 
and the daughter of Richard Bartlett and Eleanor Currier, 
of Warner. 

Mr. Hardy died very suddenly on the 18th of June, 
1888, and his funeral was attended by one of the largest 
concourses of citizens ever seen gathered in town on a sim- 
ilar occasion. 

William Harrison Hardy, the son of Joseph and 
Eliza (Chase) Hardy, was born in Warner, June 6, 1817. 
He attended school in Warner, Hopkinton, and Manches- 
ter, Vt. In the course of his life, he resided in many 
places and followed various pursuits. He was in the gro- 
cery business in Troy, N. Y., Niles, Mich., Manchester, 
Contoocook (twice), and in the cigar and tobacco busi- 
ness in Boston, Mass. He also followed other pursuits, 
such as shoe-making, brick-making, farming, etc. From 
1849 to 1851 he was in California. He also resided for a 
time in Henniker. He was employed seven years by the 
Concord and Claremont Railroad. 



396 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

From 1839 to 1841, he was a school inspector at Harvard, 
Mich., and in 1841 and 1842 an assessor. He was a road 
commissioner of Cass county, Michigan, in 1844 and 1845. 
In 1876 he was a representative of Hopkinton. 

In 1838, April 2, Mr. Hardy married Priscilla M. Morgan, 
of Hopkinton. She was a daughter of Samuel and Priscilla 
(Manning) Morgan. They had children — Eliza Ann, 
Julia Emeline, and Mary Angeline and Julia Emeline 
(twins.) 

Mr. Hardy died October 6, 1882. 

Samuel A. Hardy, the son of Ozias Hardy and Lavinia 
Barden, was born in Hopkinton, February 19, 1829. From 
1833 to 1837, he resided in Warner. With the exception 
of about a year in Washington, he has spent the rest of his 
life in Hopkinton, being a farmer. Mr. Hardy lives at Har- 
dy's Corner, so named from the prominence of the Hardy 
family in that district for many years. 

In 1858, October 13, he married Abby A. Putney, daugh- 
ter of James Putney and Lucinda Barden, of Hopkinton. 
They had children, — Ida J., Isabell M., Arvilla A., Josie L., 
Stillman A., Louis B. Mrs. Hardy died April 17, 1886. 

Woodbury Hardy, the son of Ozias Hardy and Lavinia 
Barden, was born in Hopkinton, March 25, 1 853. In the 
course of his life, he has resided in Boston and Peabody, 
Mass., and Marengo, 111. He is a farmer and gardener. 
During the late war, he served in Company E, of the 95th 
Regiment of Illinois Infantry. Mr. Hardy has resided con- 
tinuously in Hopkinton since 1866. 

In 1861, he married Ellen Matilda Price, daughter of 
William Price and Eliza Felton. They have children, — 
Arthur Woodbury, Clara Matilda. 

Stephen Harriman, an early resident of Hopkinton, 
has a personal history that is somewhat involved in obscuri- 
ty. He was prominently identified in civil affairs, and was 
called captain. In 1774 and in 1779, he was a selectman 
of the town. In 1775, he was chosen a delegate to the 
Exeter convention, called in anticipation of the elaboration 
of a plan of colonial government. In 1777 and in 1781, he 
represented Hopkinton in the provincial General Court. 
During the controversy over the Rev. Jacob Cram, third 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 397 

minister of Hopkinton, Capt. Stephen Harriman was a 
leader of the opposition, who resisted the payment of their 
ministerial taxes, which were finally abated by the town. 
Captain Harriman died February 1, 1804, aged 76, and his 
remains were interred in the Stumpfield cemetery, where 
they are covered by a horizontal granite slab. 

He seems to have been married three times. By his first 
wife, Lucy, he had at least three children, as follows : Lucy, 
born January 9, 1780; Polly, born August 15, 1781; Ste- 
phen, born December 5, 1783. His second wife, Sarah, 
died December 17, 1800. In 1801, September 29, he mar- 
ried his third wife, the widow Judith Silver. 

" Stephen Harriman, Jr.," of somewhat difficult identity, 
was a soldier of the Revolution, being in Captain Joshua 
Bailey's company in 1777, being enlisted about the 20th of 
July, serving at Bennington, and being discharged about 
the 20th of September. 

Charles Edward Harrington, the son of Moses Bai- 
ley Harrington and Betsey Prescott Mooers, was born in 
Concord, October 5, 1846. In early life, he moved with 
his father to Hopkinton. He was educated at Hopkinton 
academy, New London Literary and Scientific Institution, 
and at Bangor (Me.) Theological Seminary. Becoming a 
Congregational minister, he has resided at Lancaster from 
1874 to 1878 ; in Concord (South church), from 1878 to 
1882 ; in Dubuque, la., from 1882 to 1885 ; in Keene, from 
1885 to the present time. During his preparatory course, 
he spent some time in teaching. He was for a time assis- 
tant teacher of Hopkinton academy, and once principal of 
the Farmington high school. He received the honorary 
degree of Master of Arts from Dartmouth college in 1878 ; 
that of Doctor of Divinity from Iowa college in 1889. From 
1878 to 1882, he was a chaplain of the N. H. National Guard, 
and the same of the N. H. legislature in 1881. A veteran 
of the late war, Mr. Harrington was a corporal of Company 
A, of the 18th Regiment N. H. V., being mustered in Sep- 
tember 13, 1864. He was promoted to sergeant, and mus- 
tered out June 10, 1865. 

In 1869, June 30, Mr. Harrington married Sara Howard 
(Russell) Wilkins, daughter of Rev. Carey Russell and 
Roxanna Howard, of Littleton. They have children,— 
Hattie Russell, Charles Woodbury, William Barbour. 



398 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

SECTION XV. 

HARRIS — HTJNTOON. 

John Harris, an eminent jurist of Hopkinton, was born 
in Harvard, Mass., October 18, 1769. He was the son of 
Richard Harris and Lydia Atherton. In 1791, the subject 
of this sketch graduated at Harvard college. He read law 
with Simeon Strong, of Amherst, Mass., and Timothy Bige- 
low, of Groton, Mass. Iu 1794, he came to Hopkintou, 
where he resided till his death. John Harris was frequently 
the incumbent of public office. Being a member of the 
Whig party in politics, the unpopular party in his town and 
state, his most important official trusts were those of ap- 
pointment. From 1806 to 1809, and again from 1811 to 
1814, he was moderator of Hopkinton town-meeting. In 
1807, he was collector of taxes. In 1821, he was town 
treasurer, continuing in office at least three years, appear- 
ing to have been the first treasury official chosen in the 
history of the town. In 1809 and 1823, and possibly at 
other times, he served upon the superintending school- 
committee. 

John Harris, however, must be mainly regarded in the 
higher" ranks of official life. He was probate judge of Hills- 
borough count}' from 1812 to 1823 ; the same of Merrimack 
county, from 1823 to 1843 ; from 1817 to 1823, solicitor of 
Hillsborough county ; from 1823 to 1833, associate justice 
of the New Hampshire supreme court of judicature. In 
1820, he was commissioned, with Charles H. Atherton, of 
Amherst, as register of probate, to revise the code of pro- 
bate laws of the state. In 1811, April 1, the first post-office 
was established in Hopkinton, and John Harris became 
post-master. In 1814, he was one of a commission that 
located the state capitol at Concord. 

In military life, John Harris had some distinction. In 
1810, he was appointed a captain of the 4th Company of 
the 21st Regiment of the state militia. He took a peculiar 
interest in popular education. Previously to the establish- 
ment of Hopkinton academy, he taught one or more select 
schools, making a specialty of good reading. His pupils 
were admitted by cards, and one or more times a prize was 
offered for the best rendering of a scriptural selection or 
other standard composition. In 1816, he was made a trus- 
tee of Dartmouth college. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 399 

In Masonty, John Harris was prominent. In 1803, Jan- 
uary 10, a preliminary meeting of the Palladian Society 
was held at his home. A constitution had been framed and 
adopted, and he became the first treasurer. He was the 
founder of Trinity Chapter, the second in priority in .the 
state, being founded in 1807. In 1824, he became its treas- 
urer. He was also founder of the Tyrian Council and of 
the Mt. Horeb Commandery of Knights Templar. He was 
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, Grand High Priest of 
the Grand Chapter at its formation in 1819, and first Grand 
Master of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of 
New Hampshire, at its formation in 1826. 

In religion, John Harris was an Episcopalian. He sub- 
scribed to the ecclesiastical constitution of Christ's church 
in 1803 ; he was one of the first wardens of St. Andrew's 
church in 1827. 

For many years, Judge Harris lived in the house now 
occupied by John S. Kimball. A farm being a part of his 
domestic establishment, he became noted as a thorough and 
profitable cultivator. 

In September, 1799, John Harris married Mary Poor, of 
Hampstead, the daughter of Eliphalet Poor and Elizabeth 
Little. They had four children, — George, born February 6, 
1801 ; Catharine, born January 23, 1804 ; Eliza Poor, born 
January 21, 1809 ; Ann, born February 19, 1812. 

Judge Harris died April 23, 1845 ; Mrs. Harris, March 6, 
1843. Their bodies lie in the old village cemetery. There 
is no child of theirs living. 

John Harris was at one time subjected to considerable 
public obliquy in this town on account of his action^ as one 
of a legislative committee to locate the new state-house, 
first occupied in 1819. Because he gave his vote to Con- 
cord instead of Hopkinton, it was surmised that personal 
considerations influenced his course. This conception, 
however, has been historically exploded. The geographi- 
cal advantages of Concord, being located on the Merrimack 
river, then a great public highway for the transportation of 
all kinds of goods, with other incidental and minor facts, 
doubtless influenced the mind of John Harris in common 
with those of many others in New Hampshire. 

Matthew Harvey, in some respects the most eminent 
citizen Hopkinton has ever had, was born in Sutton, 



400 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

June 21, 1781. being a son of Matthew Harvey and Hannah 
Sargent. Predisposed to intellectual pursuits, the subject 
of this sketch prepared for college under the tuition of 
Rev. Samuel Wood, D. D., of Boscawen. Graduating from 
Dartmouth college in the class of 1806, he entered the law 
office of John Harris, of Hopkinton, being admitted to the 
bar in 1809. He then opened an office in Hopkinton, where 
he resided the greater portion of his life. Matthew Harvey 
during his active life, was almost or quite constantly in 
civil office. He possessed a degree of natural affability 
that encouraged popularity, and he was a member of the 
Democratic party, which dominated many years in his town 
and state. From 1826 to 1828, in 1833 and 1834, in 1840 
and 1841, and from 1845 to 1850, he was moderator of 
Hopkinton town-meeting. In 1814, and for seven succes- 
sive years, he was a representative to the General Court, 
being speaker of the House of Representees from 1818 to 
1820. In 1821, he was sent to the national House of 
Representatives, where he served four years, and then 
returned to New Hampshire and served three years in the 
state senate, being its president the last two years. In 
1828 and 1829, he was a member of the state Executive 
Council ; in 1830, governor of New Hampshire, and the 
same year he was appointed a district judge of the United 
States. 

MattheAV Harvey took an active interest in all matters 
relating to public education. In 1810 and 1811, he was a 
member of the superintending school-committee of Hopkin 
ton. He was one of the earliest trustees of Hopkinton 
academy, founded in 1827. He was vice-president of the 
New Hampshire Historical Society from 1829 to 1831, and 
its president from 1832 to 1834. In affairs of the church 
he was also' prominent. He subscribed to the ecclesiastical 
constitution of Christ's church in 1803, and became one 
of the first vestrymen of St. Andrew's church in 1827. 

In 1850, Matthew Harvey moved to Concord, where he* 
died on the 7th of April, 1866. While in Hopkinton he 
lived many years in the house now occupied by Mrs. John 
S. Kimball. While governor of the state, for the sake of 
retirement, he occupied the house now owned by Elijah 
Spencer, on the turnpike, about a mile and a half east of 
the Village. 

Matthew Harvey's wife was Margaret Rowe, a native (?)• 



1 



» 







Dea. John M. Harvey. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 401 

of Newburyport, Mass. They had two children. Marga- 
ret Elizabeth, their daughter, died in 1836 ; Frederick, 
their son, died in Louisiana, in 1866. 

John M. Harvey, the son of John Harvey and Mary 
Straw, was born in Methuen, Mass., April 24, 1814. When 
the subject of this sketch was about the age of six years, 
his father moved to Hopkinton, and settled in the Black- 
water district, on the farm now owned by Benjamin Flan- 
ders. When about eighteen years old, John M. Harvey 
went to Lowell, Mass., and worked in the cotton-mills. He 
remained in Lowell till 1844, and then came to Manchester, 
and went into business on the Amoskeag corporation. In 
the year 1862, he moved to his old home at Blackwater, 
though till 1866 he continued to do business in Manchester, 
being five years connected with the transactions of a loan 
fund association. 

While in Manchester, Mr. Harvey was two years a select- 
man, two years a common councilman, and two years an 
alderman, the last time being president of the board. 

In 1866 and 1867, he was a selectman of Hopkinton ; in 
1872, moderator of town-meeting; in 1876, a delegate to 
the state constitutional convention. In 1872, he was 
chosen deacon of the Congregational church. 

In 1839, October 7, Mr. Harvey married Emiline A. 
Gardiner, of Salem, Mass. She was a daughter of Joseph 
Gardiner and Eunice Tucker. They had four children, — 
John Henry, Etta Augusta, Clarence Augustine, and 
George Warren. 

Dea. John M. Harvey died July 12, 1880. For a number 
of years previous to his death, he resided in Hopkinton vil- 
lage where his widow, now Mrs. Sage, still lives. 

Clarence A. Harvey, the son of John M. Harvey and 
Emiline A. Gardiner, was born October 2, 1850, the resi- 
dence of his parents being in Manchester. Coming to 
Hopkinton with his father in 1862, he attended the com- 
mon and higher schools of the town. He was a member of 
the Hopkinton superintending school-committee in 1874, 
1875, and 1877. Deciding to pursue the medical profes- 
sion, he read a year with his uncle, Dr. Albert Harvey, of 
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; he finished his preparatory course at 
the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1881. 
25 



402 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

He entered upon practice in Poughkeepsie, where he died 
December 26, 1883. 

William F. Harvey, the son of John Harvey and 
Mary Straw, was born in Hopkinton, July 21, 1827. The 
most of his early life was spent upon the farm, attending 
select schools incidentally at Contoocook and at Hopkinton 
academy one term. When 17 years old, he began to teach 
schools in winter, following the practice till 1862, when he 
went West and purchased a farm in Wright county, Iowa, 
and built a house upon it. Subsequently he taught schools, 
hut becoming a religious convert, he studied for the Con- 
gregational ministry and was licensed to preach in August, 
1864, and was ordained in Webster City in August, 1866. 
He remained in Webster City till 1870, and then went to 
Riceville, where he was pastor of Jamestown and Went- 
worth churches. About this time, he returned to his farm 
and made improvements, but continued to preach in vari- 
ous places for longer or shorter times. He died in Clarion, 
la., December 1, 1889. 

Roger C. Hatch, once pastor of the Congregational 
church in Hopkinton, was born in Middletown, Ct., Octo- 
ber 20, 1784, being a son of Josiah Hatch, M. D., and Eliz- 
abeth Bronson. He was ordained pastor of the church in 
Hopkinton on the 21st of October, 1818, and dismissed 
June 26, 1832. He was subsequently a pastor, resident 
of Warwick, Mass., till September 19, 1868, when he died. 

The Rev. Mr. Hatch married Hannah Fay, daughter of 
Benjamin Fay and Beulah Stow, of Westboro, Mass., and 
who died in Peoria, 111., May 3, 1875, aged 79 years. The 
children of the Rev. Mr. Hatch were, — Junius Loren, born 
1821 ; Elizabeth Bronson, born 1823 ; Junius Loren, born 
1825; Henry Fay, born 1827; Sarah Hopkins, born 1829; 
Ellen Towne, born 1831 ; George Edwards, born 1837 ; 
Mary Louise, born 1839. 

While in Hopkinton the Rev. Mr. Hatch was promi- 
nently identified with educational work. His name is found 
upon the records of the town as a superintending school- 
committee in 1819, 1820, and 1827. He probably served 
in the same capacity on other years. He was one of the 
active founders of Hopkinton academy in 1827, being one 
of the first board of trustees. He was also an early and 
vigorous advocate of temperance. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 403 

The following memorial of the subject of this sketch was 
written by the request of Mrs. Ellen T. Hatch Windom, 
wife of Secretary Windom, of the United States Treasury, 
and in anticipation of the publication of this work : 

IN MEMORIAM. 

It gives me much pleasure to put upon paper a record of the vivid 
impression I still retain of the honored and beloved pastor of my 
boyhood, the Rev. Roger Conant Hatch. 

After having been graduated at Yale college in 1815, and having 
completed his theological studies, Mr. Hatch spent some months in 
missionary work in central New York, and then in his early man- 
hood came in 1818 to his first pastorate in Hopkinton, the duties of 
which he continued to perform with diligence and success for 
fourteen years. During his ministry I was born, and under his 
preaching I sat till I left my native town when thirteen years of 
age. Although then so young, I have a very vivid recollection of 
Mr. Hatch, both as a man and as a minister. 

He was tall, stately in manner, and benevolent in countenance, 
with a certain grace and dignity of deportment that both befitted 
his calling, and won the respect and esteem of all who knew him. 
While somewhat reserved in manner, he manifested the kindliest 
interest in all his parishioners, and especially in the children, to whom 
he often spoke in a gracious way that charmed and took captive our 
young hearts. 

In church he had a most reverential air, and conducted all the 
services of the house of the Lord as if in His immediate presence. 
In thought his sermons were weighty, and in delivery, impressive. 
I well remember a sermon that he preached when I was twelve 
years of age, on " Keeping holy the Sabbath," for it came pretty 
close home to me. 

I have often thought of him as embodying, to my mind, more 
than perhaps any other clergyman I have known, the delightful 
description given by Goldsmith of " The Village Preacher." 

" At church, with meek and unaffected grace, 
His looks adorned the venerable place ; 

The service past, around the pious man, 

With ready zeal, each honest rustic ran ; 

Even children followed with endearing wile, 

And plucked his gown, to share the good man's smile ; 

His ready smile a parent's warmth expressed, 

Their welfare pleased him, and their cares distressed ; 

To them his heart, his love, his griefs were given, 

But all his serious thoughts had rest in Heaven." 

In scholarly attainments Mr. Hatch was proficient. He had the 



404 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

habits of a scholar, and his discourses always bore the marks of 
careful preparation. He was a peace-maker, and was beloved by 
his people. 

His home was a model one to the parish, for there presided in it 
a most gentle and refined lady, a worthy companion of her husband 
in all his pastoral duties. The doors of this hospitable home were 
ever open to all the people of the parish. Although more than half 
a century has passed away since this dear man of God closed his 
ministry in Hopkinton, yet the influence of his life and preaching 
still abides and is a power for good in the lives of not a few, and 
the blessed results of such a faithful ministry can be fully known 
only when all things shall be revealed at the last day. 

(Signed) Franklin W. Fisk. 

Chicago Theological Seminary, Nov. 18, 1889. 

Carlos G. Hawthorne, a resident lawyer, was born 
in Hopkinton, September 19, 1827, being a son of Calvin 
Hawthorne and Rachel Jackman. Until 18 years of age, the 
subject of this sketch worked upon the farm continuously. 
Later, he was agriculturally employed only a portion of the 
summer. Disposed to intellectual pursuits, after sufficiently 
informing himself, he began to teach school. From 184T 
to 1849, he was a teacher in Concord. Subquently he spent 
a year or more at Gilmanton academy. He afterwards 
taught a year in the academy at Granby, Mass. 

In 1852, he went to Chicago and was two years principal 
of the Foster School, as it was called, being the supervisor 
of several hundred children. With this experience his 
school-teaching ended. He had already begun the study 
of law, and, being now qualified, he went to Dubuque, la., 
and opened an office in the winter of 1854. He continued 
in business till 1866, his legal practice being conducted 
at first under the name of Crozier & Hawthorne, then of 
Hawthorne & McNall, and lastly of Poor & Hawthorne. 

While in the West, Carlos G. Hawthorne engaged in 
real estate transactions in the firm of Hawthorne, Childs & 
Co., which gave place to Hawthorne, Jackman & Co. Dur- 
ing the war of 1861, he was two years assistant provost- 
marshal, being also four years attorney for the Board 
of Enrollment, performing the duties of judge-advocate. 
» While thus engaged, he was the means of securing many 
enlistments. 

In July, 1866, Esquire Hawthorne returned to Hopkin- 
ton where he has since resided. For a time he practised 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 405 

law by correspondence, and, in 1871, he entered into a legal 
partnership with Herman W. Greene, the business relation 
continuing a number of years. 

In 1850, March, Carlos G. Hawthorne married Francis 
Prescott Gilman, of Gilmanton. She was the daughter of 
Nichols S. Gilman and Julia Prescott. They have one 
daughter, — Jessie A. 

Moses Hill, whose family name was many years per- 
petuated in the bridge and village of Contoocook, is said to 
have come to this town from Chester, very early in the his- 
tory of Hopkinton. He built both a residence and a mill at 
Contoocook, which is often called Hill's Bridge in the town 
records, and which was so called colloquially even within 
the memory of persons now in middle life. Moses Hill 
was a soldier of the Revolution, being in Capt. John Hale's 
company, in Col. Henry Gerrish's regiment, called out to 
reinforce General Gates in 1777. He enlisted in August 
and performed twenty-eight days' service. Moses Hill was 
also with Capt. Joshua Bailey, in Col. Moses Kelley's regi- 
ment, in the campaign in Rhode Island, serving twenty-five 
days in August and September 1778. Moses Hill had a 
wife, Hannah. The town record of births contains the 
following: "Beniaman Hills the Son of Mr Moses Hills 
and Hannah his Wife was Born in this Town March 6, 
1769." The surname of the Hill family is almost always 
spelled in the plural in the town records. Moses Hill died 
July 26, 1799, aged 70 ; his wife, October 1, 1806, aged 70. 
Moses Hill was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1769 and 
1770. 

William Holmes, the son of William and Sarah Ann 
Holmes, was born in Hopkinton, April 4, 1819. In the 
course of his life he has resided in Concord, Sutton, and 
Salisbury. In boyhood, being in poverty, he was sold to 
the lowest bidder for support to Josiah Jewett, of Hopkin- 
ton, in the year 1821. He was afterwards sold to John 
Currier and again to Jeremiah Crowell. At the age of 15, 
he had learned the alphabet ; at 19, he began the cooper's 
trade ; at 20, he began business for himself. In time he 
saved $300, which he lost by a bad investment. Then he 
adopted the lumber business, and became the proprietor of 
a saw-mill and 1,000 acres of land in Salisbury. 



406 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In 1841, March 12, he married Jane Johnson, daughter 
of Ebenezer Johnson and Dorothy Hildreth, of Salisbury. 
They have had children, — George, Dorothy Ann, Charles 
C, Curtice D., Emma J., Nellie A., Willie J., Leland E. 

James M. Hook, the son of Asa J. Hook and Harriet 
N. How, was born in Concord, March 2, 1838. In the 
course of his life, he has resided in Littleton and Lowell, 
Mass. He spent three years at sea. In the late war, he 
served in Company I, 6th Regiment N. H. Vols. Since 
the war, he has lived most or all of the time in Hopkinton. 

In 1859, Mr. Hook married Melissa Runnels, daughter of 
Burbank Runnels and Louisa Towns, of Concord. She died 
in 1862. In 1863, Mr. Hook married Mary M. Long, of 
Hopkinton, by whom he had children, — Nathan J., Lizzie 
C, Sarah C, Belle C, Annie G. His second wife having 
died in 1874, Mr. Hook married Mary A. Doying, daughter 
of Wallace Doying and Ann Brown, by whom he has chil- 
dren, — Emma J., Eddie M., Gertie J., Charles F , Willie J., 
Alice M. 

Adonibam J. Hopkins, the son of Samuel C. Hopkins 
and Philena S. Ford, was born in South Jefferson, Me., 
May 24, 1847. He was educated in the English High 
School, Boston, Mass., at Harvard college, class of 1874, 
and at Newton (Mass.) Theological Seminary. A Baptist 
minister, he became pastor of the church in Dunbarton in 
1876, continuing till 1879, when he came to Hopkinton, 
where he was pastor from November 29, 1879, to October 1, 
1883. He subsequently was three years at Franklin Falls, 
after which he resided hi Boston a year and a half, caring 
for his father, who was in his last illness. In 1887, Rev. 
Mr. Hopkins resumed pastoral work in Georgetown, Mass., 
where he now resides. The subject of this sketch has fre- 
quently been the incumbent of civil, ecclesiastical, or edu- 
cational office. From 1876 to 1879, he was a member of 
the town superintending school-committee ; in 1878 and 
1879, moderator of town-meeting ; in 1888 and 1889, chair- 
man of the school-committee ; from 1876 to 1886, secretary 
of the N. H. Conference of Baptist ministers ; from 1880 
to 1886, trustee of Colby academy, New London ; since 
1888, trustee of Georgetown (Mass.) Peabody Library. 
He is noted as an elocutionist. 

In 1877, February 7, Rev. Mr. Hopkins married Mary C. 



PERSONAL AND BLOGRAPHICAL. 407 

Martin, daughter of Horace M. Martin and Lorinda B. 
Woodard, of Perkinsville, Vt. They have children, — 
Earnest M., Louis B., Flora M. 

Lewis Howard, the son of Abiel Howard and Kezia 
Bartlett, was born in Bridgewater, Mass., December 4, 
1802. In early life he developed a studious habit, and at 
the age of twenty, began teaching school, continuing in 
winter till the age of thirty-six, when he entered the min- 
istry of the Methodist church. Becoming a member of the 
New Hampshire Conference, he was stationed as follows : 
1839, Deering and Hillsborough ; 1841, Pembroke ; 1842, 
Chichester; 1843, Saudown ; 1845, Bristol; 1847, Haver- 
hill; 1848, N. H. Conference Seminary; 1849, East San- 
bornton; 1850, Claremont ; 1852, Nashua; 1854, Dover; 
1856, presiding elder Concord district ; 1860, Nashua ; 
1861, Salem ; 1862, Haverhill, Mass.; 1863, Suncook ; 1864, 
Lisbon; 1867, Plymouth; 1869, South Antrim; 1870, 
Contoocook ; 1874, Warren ; 1877, Contoocook. In 1879, 
he was superannuated. During the past ten years he has 
lived in Springfield, where he has supplied the Union 
church of that town, giving attention also to farming. 

The Rev. Mr. Howard has served as a selectman in the 
towns of Springfield and Grantham. In 1854, he repre- 
sented ward 6, of Nashua, in the state legislature. He was 
assistant secretary of the N. H. Conference four years ; 
secretary of same, four years ; delegate to the General 
Conference at Buffalo, N. Y., in 1860. In the course of 
his life, he has taught vocal music and penmanship. At 
the N. H. Conference Seminary, he had charge of the board- 
ing department. 

In 1826, June 21, the subject of this sketch married 
Sally Stone, a native of Grantham, who died October 21, 
1877. They had children, — Emma Oryntha, Alonzo Dear- 
born, Daniel Edson, Nancy Elvira. In 1879, March 25, 
the Rev. Mr. Howard married Ferona Clement, widow of 
Solomon H. Clement, and daughter of Abner Johnson, 
M. D., and Mary Quimby. 

Rufus S. Howe, the son of Peter Howe and Polly 
Colby, was born in Hopkinton, March 17, 1832. In the 
course of his life he has resided in Henniker, Manchester, 
Windsor, and Concord. He is a farmer and a mechanic. 



408 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPEJNTON. 

He served as a wagoner in the late war, enlisting in 
August, 1862, and being discharged in January, 1863, for 
injuries received at Arlington Heights, Va. 

In 1857, January 1, Mr. Howe married Sarah W. Noyes, 
daughter of Nathaniel Noyes and Rachel Chaney, of Henni- 
ker. They had children, — Sarah Anna, Etta L., Ina B., 
Mary N. Mr. Howe traces his ancestry to Charles Howe, 
of Lancaster, Eng., who came to Sudbury, Mass., as early 
as 1689. 

Moses French Hoyt, the son of Moses and Betsey 
Hoyt, was born in Hopkinton, May 28, 1819, and resided 
in this town nearly all his life. He was a farmer, being 
agent of the Henniker town farm and also the same of the 
Hopkinton town farm, quite a number of years in all. 

He married Mahala Flanders, daughter of Israel and 
Olive Flanders, of Hopkinton. They had children, — 
Martha, Olive, Walter F. Mr. Hoyt died in February, 
1882. 

John Hubbard, the son of Lazarus Hubbard, was born 
in Milford, in 1768. His mother's maiden name was Dins- 
more. In the course of his life he resided in Methuen, 
Mass., Deering, Hillsborough, Weare, and Hopkinton, 
where he died March 15, 1848. He was a shoemaker. In 
his early manhood he marched against the insurrection 
incited by Daniel Shays, of Massachusetts, in 1786. Mr. 
Hubbard was an old-time singing-master, who used to lead 
the singing at the old Baptist church at the foot of the 
\ southern slope of Putney's hill. 

John Hubbard was twice married. His first wife was 
Betsey Carlton, of Methuen, Mass., by whom he had a 
daughter and twin sons, John and Isaac, born June 24, 
1796. His second wife was Ruth Chase, daughter of Dud- 
ley Chase and Alice Abbott, of Deering. They had chil- 
dren, — Rodney, born April 25, 1800 ; Lydia, born July 31, 
1803 ; Nancy, born October 7, 1805 ; Sebastian Streeter, 
born October 3, 1808; Esther, born October 9, 1810; 
Sarah, born August 23, 1813 ; Dudley Chase, born, June 28, 
1815. His second wife died September 11, 1856, aged 80. 

Charles Hunt, the son of Isaac Hunt and Catharine 
Auburn, was born in Warner, June 22, 1848. In the 
course of his life, he has resided in Salem and Lowell, 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 409 

Mass., and in Hopkinton. In Salem, he was a policeman 
about three years. During the late war, he served in Com- 
panies D and E, 5th Regiment N. H. Vols., being in the 
service nearly three years. He was six times in military 
prisons — in Libby prison, at Richmond, at Belle Island, at 
Lynchburg, at Danville, at Andersonville, and at Florence, 
S. C. In all he was in prison about a year. When he 
entered the service he weighed 161 pounds ; when finally 
released from prison, 68^ pounds. In 1878, December 12, 
he married Ella Sprowle, daughter of Edward Sprowle and 
Nettie Wilson, of Peabody, Mass. They have children, — 
Willie O., Edith N., Arthur W. 

Ora M. Huntoon, the son of Harvey Huntoon and 
Maria P. Morse, was born in Unity, May 1, 1839. In early 
life, he attended school at New London. He lived in Unity 
till 1878, and after that in Contoocook till a few years ago, 
when he moved to Pittsfield. He has been a farmer, but of 
late years has engaged in mercantile pursuits. While here, 
he was for a time the chairman of the organization of the 
Democratic party. In Unity, he was a selectman from 
1863 to 1870, and representative in 1868 and 1869. He 
was also a member of the Unity superintending school- 
committee at various times. He has also received the Dem- 
ocratic nomination for register of deeds for Merrimack 
county. 

In 1871, November 30, he married Mary Vilona Curtice, 
daughter of Samuel Curtice and Leonora Sweat, of Hopkin- 
ton. They have children, — Arthur C, Ada M. 



SECTION XVI. 

JOHNSON — KIMBALL. 

Samuel Johnson, the son of Benjamin Johnson and 
Sarah Abbott, was born in Hopkinton, Febuary 1, .1811. 
With the exception of one year in Concord, he always 
resided in Hopkinton. He was a farmer and farrier, whose 
services were widely demanded and appreciated. He was 
an ensign of militia two or three years, a quartermaster of 



410 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the 40th Regiment five or six years, and an adjutant one 
year. He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1871. His 
home was on the top of Beech hill, where his unoccupied 
residence now stands. 

In 1841, May 27, Samuel Johnson married Charlotte 
Goodwin Holmes, daughter of Eliphalet Holmes and Nancy 
Flanders. They had children, — Mary H., Addie N. 

Dr. Johnson died November 15, 1887. 

Jonathan Jones, the son of Jonathan and Judith 
Jones, was born in Warner, October 10, 1791. His early 
life was spent in Warner and Boscawen. In 1822, he came 
to Hopkinton, residing on the farm where his grandson, 
J. Arthur Jones, now lives, at West Hopkinton. He was 
a selectman of Hopkinton in 1829 and 1830. 

In 1820, November 14, Mr. Jones married Sarah Currier, 
daughter of Amos Currier and Mary Sargent, of Hopkin- 
ton. They had children, — Charles C, born May 17, 1822 ; 
Charles G., born July 17, 1827; Horace F., born June 18, 
1833 ; John F., born March 31, 1835. 

Mr. Jones died February 20, 1877 ; his wife, February, 
1885. 

John F. Jones, the son of Jonathan Jones and Sarah 
Currier, was born in Hopkinton, March 31, 1835. He 
attended school at Hopkinton academy. He resided in 
Hopkinton till 1885, since which time he has lived in Con- 
cord. In the course of his life, Mr. Jones has been a farmer 
upon the family homestead at West Hopkinton ; for a 
number of years a merchant at Contoocook ; in later years 
a banker. He was town-clerk of Hopkinton from 1861 
to 1864, and in 1873 ; town treasurer, from 1861 to 1864 
and 1872. He was a member of the state constitutional 
convention of 1876. From 1881 to 1883, he was treasurer 
of Merrimack county. Mr. Jones at present is director of 
the National State Capital bank, of Concord ; director of 
the First National Bank, of Hillsborough; trustee and 
treasurer of the Loan and Trust Saving Bank, of Concord ; 
and treasurer of the Democratic Press Company, of Con- 
cord, of the Manufacturers' and Merchants' United Insur- 
ance Company, of the Woodsum Steamboat Company, and 
of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society. 

In 1861, October 23, Mr. Jones married Maria H. Bar- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 411 

nard, daughter of Thomas K. Barnard and Hannah Frost, 
of Haverhill, Mass. They have two children, — John 
Arthur and Charles Currier. 

Stephen Kelley, one of the oldest residents of this 
town, was born in West Newbury, Mass., May 6, 1803, 
being a son of Nathan Kelley and Elizabeth Brown. Since 
four years of age, he has continuously lived in Hopkinton, 
following the occupation of a farmer. 

In 1837, November 28, he married Harriet Trussel, 
daughter of John Trussel and Jemima Colby, of Hopkin- 
ton. They have had one child, John Trussel, who died in 
infancy. 

Frederick H. Kelley, the son of Amos Kelley and 
Sarah Evans, was born in Hopkinton, November 24, 1833. 
In early manhood, he was a wire-worker ; of late years, he 
has been a peddler. 

In 1856, November 5, he married Harriet N. Holland, 
daughter of Peter Holland and Susanna Hintie, of Concord. 
They have children, — Edithene E., Leown H. 

Willard H. Kempton, the son of Edward B. Kemp ton 
and Mary Harris, was born in Croydon, January 26, 1842. 
In 1859, he came to Contoocook ; in 1867, he went to West 
Concord ; in 1872, he returned to Contoocook ; in 1874, he 
went to Reed's Ferry. He is a mechanic. During the late 
war, he served in Company B, 2d Regiment N. H. Vols., 
being mustered in August 11, 1862; wounded June 3, 
1864 ; promoted to corporal July 1, 1864 ; mustered out 
June 9, 1865. 

In 1862, August 9, he married Olive Jane Burbank, 
daughter of Thomas J. Burbank and Susan Crowell, of 
Hopkinton. They had children, — Lizzie M., Nolan M. 

Mrs. Kempton died several years ago. 

George H. Ketchum, the son of Silas Ketchum and 
Cynthia Doty, was born in Barre, Vt., January 6, 1824. 
He was educated at the Barre high school. His trade is 
that of a carpenter and tin-worker. In the course of time, 
he has lived in Plainfield, Montpelier, Vt., Hopkinton, and 
Nelson. He came to Contoocook in 1866, where he has 
since resided as a dealer in tin, hardware, stoves, farming 



412 LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKEN'TCXS. 

implements, etc. Mr. Ketelmm was four years curator of 
the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society. 

In ISIS, February 29, Mr. Kerehum married Almira A. 
P. Newcomb, daughter of Bradford Newcomh and Hannah 
Clarke. Mrs. Ketehum is a direct descendant of Gov. 
William Bradford, of Massachusetts. Two children have 
succeeded this marriage. — Cynthia Hannah and Jessie 
Ann. 

Silas Ketchoi, a clergyman of eminent versatility of 

talents, was horn in Barre. Vt., December 4, 1835, being a 
son of Silas Ketehum and Cynthia Doty. The personal 
history of the subject of this sketch has been admirably 
written by the Rev. D. L. Milliken, from whose narrative 
we take the following: 

In 1851, his father having become an invalid, he removed to 
Hopkinton, where he learned and followed the trade of a shoemaker 
till his father's death in 1855. Being then released from the duty 
of supporting his parents, he entered Hopkinton academy, and 
after two terms of study taught his first school. He afterward 
taught in the same academy, and in Amherst and Nelson high 
schools. Mr. Ketehum was fitted to enter Dartmouth college in 
1858, but being stricken with sickness, was constrained to forego 
that advantage and studied under private instructors, taking all the 
college studies except the higher mathematics. He also acquired 
sufficient knowledge to be able to read in French, Spanish, and 
Italian. In 1860. he entered Bangor Theological Seminary, pur- 
suing the full course, supporting himself and wife by working at his 
trade, and never missing but one lecture or recitation, graduating in 
1808. In December of that year, he located with the church in 
TVardsborough. Yt., and during a ministry of twenty-one months the 
congregation was doubled twice. He then removed to Brattlebor- 
ough, and edited, in conjunction with D. L. Milliken, the Vermont 
Weekly and Semi-Weekly Record and the Vermont School Journal, 
till called to the church in Bristol, N. H., in November, 1866. 
"With this church he labored eight and a half years, being ordained 
there September 17. 1867. Under his superintendence, the schools 
of the town were graded, reduced to system, and a large number of 
young men and women stimulated to enter the learned professions. 
He was an active member of the State Teachers' Association, and 
lectured extensively through the state. As a Freemason, lie held 
many offices of influence and trust, and was chaplain of the Grand 
Lodge of New Hampshire from 1871 to 1875. In 1875. worn with 
labor, he resigned his charge at Bristol, and accepted a small church 
in Maplewood, Mass.. leaving it in October, 1876. His last pastor- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 413 

ate was with the Second Congregational church in Windsor, Ct., 
{ram July 15, 1877, till within a few week* of his death. 

During his whole career as a student and minister, he has been a 
diligent collector of rare and curious hooks, and an oinniverous 
reader in science and history. From his own collection, he presented 
to the New Hampshire Historical Society 512 volumes, to the New 
Hampshire Antiquarian Society 1,200 volumes and 3,000 pamphlets, 
and to the American Congregational Association. Boston, 352. His 
own library now numbers 2,500 volumes. Mr. Ketchum was a 
member of all these and several other learned and benevolent soci- 
eties, and was active in securing the New Hampshire Orphans' 
Home — the old home of Daniel Webster — of which corporation he 
was a life member. When lie removed from the state, he was 
elected — 187(3 — a corresponding member of the New Hampshire 
Historical Society, and delivered the annual address in 1877. In 
1878. he was elected member of the New England Historic Genea- 
logical Society. Boston, of the Prince Society. Boston, and corre- 
sponding member of the New York Historical Society, and of the 
Society of Antiquity, of Worcester. 

Of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, he was. in a con- 
spicuous sense, the founder, was corresponding secretary, 177o-'77>. 
and president in 1876-'77-'78. Mr. Ketchum was widely connected 
■with the press as correspondent, essayist, and reviewer for many 
years. His published works are (1) A Farewell Discourse. 1865; 
(2) History of the Philomathic Club. 1875 j (3) Eulogy on Henry 
Wilson. 1876: (4) Diary of the Invasion of Canada by the Ameri- 
can Army in 1775. 1876: (5) Special Geography of New Hamp- 
shire. 1877 : (6) Paul on Mars Hill: Ancient Windsor. 1879. He 
had also in preparation histories of the Ketchum and of the Doty 
families in America and an elaborate dictionary of New Hampshire 
Biography. 

The above selection was written as part of an obituary 
at the time of Mr. Ketchum's death. 

In 1860, April 6, Silas Ketchum married Georgia C. 
Hardy, a daughter of Elbridge Hardy ami Sarah Stevens, 
of Amherst. They had two children, — George C, and 
Edmund D. 

The Rev. Mr. Ketchum died April -24. 1880, and his 
remains were interred in the cemetery at Contooeook, 
where an elegant ami Lofty monument has been erected in 
his memory. 

Charles N. Kezar, the son of Moses Kezar ami Zilpha 

Ordwav. was born in Hopkinton, February 11, 184:2. ami 
has always lived in this town, his home being in Contoo- 



414 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

cook. During the late war, he served in Company D, 16th 
Regiment, N. H. Vols., being- mustered in October 24, 
1862, and mustered out August 20, 1863. 

Reuben Kimball. See Daniel Annis. 

Abraham Kimball, the son of Aaron and Susanna 
Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, April 18, 174*2, being the 
first male white child born in the township. On the 13th 
o( April, 1753, he was captured by the Indians, the narra- 
tion of his capture being recited in Chapter X of Part I of 
this work. On the 17th of June, 1775, he was at the battle 
of Bunker Hill, in Capt. Gordon Hutchins's company; 
in 1777, he was in Capt. Joshua Bailey's company, Col. 
Thomas Sticknev's regiment. Gen. John Stark's brigade, 
and marched from Hopkinton in July to join the northern 
continental army. He enlisted for the service on the 
22d of July, and was discharged on the 17th of September. 
He was severely wounded at Bennington on the 16th of 
August. The following is his account for expenses inci- 
dent to his injury: 

Bennington Augt 28 1777 
Hired a horse to come to Hopkinton 130 Miles 
To Expenses on my way home 

To a Horse two journeys from Hopkinton to Andover 
To nursing- while at Andover 

To Expenses going to and Coming from Andover 
pd Dr John Clement 12s 6 pd Dr Thos Kitteridge £4 . 16s 5 

£27 . 14 . 6 
loss of time About six months Occasioned by said wound 
A true Acct 

Errors Excepted Per Abraham Kimball 

Abraham Kimball married a Miss Runnels, of Concord, 
and had seven sons and two daughters. He eventually 
moved to Peacham, Vt., to live with a son, dying there at 
nearly 90 years of age. His sons' names were John, Isaac, 
Jacob, Benjamin, Job; his daughters, Abigail, Phcebe. 

Aaron Kimball, father of Abraham, is said to have come 
to Hopkinton from Bradford, Mass., his name being promi- 
nent in the early records of the town. He was called 
Lieutenant. He is said to have built Kimball's garrison. 



£9 . 


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1 


. 14 


. 6 


5 , 


, 10 , 


. 


1 . 


16 , 


. 


4 . 


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Is 5 . 


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, 6 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 415 

Amasa Kimball, the son of Daniel Kimball, was born 
in Hopkinton, August 13, 1799. In 1825, he went to Low- 
ell, Mass., where he became engaged in the construction of 
the cotton-factories of the Merrimack corporation. Upon 
the completion of the factories, he was in charge of a branch 
of the business of the corporation till about 1835. He 
afterwards became a merchant of the firm of Kimball & 
Wheeler, continuing until his death, May 18, 1848. 

Mr. Kimball married Betsey Ann Hopkins, daughter of 
James Hopkins, of Antrim. They had children, — John 
Milton, born July 5, 1827, and Mary Lewis, born May 22, 
1832. Mrs. Kimball died in Milwaukee, Wis., October 29, 
1859. Mr. Kimball was a prominent ( ongregationalist, and 
at one time was chorister of Dr. Blanchard's church in 
Lowell. 

Benjamin Ober Kimball, a direct descendant of Aaron 
Kimball, who came to Hopkinton from Bradford, Mass., 
was born in Hopkinton, August 14, 1807, being the son of 
Jacob, son of Abraham, son of Aaron, Kimball and Anna 
Ober. He has always resided in Hopkinton, being a 
wheelwright, living many years in the Sugar Hill district, 
but latterly in the outskirts of the village, on the South 
road, in the old county jail building. Two years he was a 
fife-major of militia. 

In October, 1828, Mr. Kimball married Cynthia Fellows, 
daughter of Obadiah Fellows and Sarah Emerson. They 
had children, — Eliza Ann, born September 30, 1829 ; 
Charles N., born October 11, 1830; Benjamin W., born 
February 24, 1832 ; Adoniram J., born January 11, 1837 ; 
Andrew J., born March 15, 1838; Charlotte A. D., born 
August 17, 1841. They all died comparatively young. 

Mrs. Kimball died March 26, 1883. 

Horatio Kimball, the son of Aaron Kimball and 
Eleanor Caldwell, was born in Hopkinton, September 19, 
1821. His father was the third person of the same name 
in direct descent in this town. In early life, Horatio Kim- 
ball moved to Nashua, where he attended Lund's High 
School. Subsequently he resided at Nashville, Tenn., but 
in 1851, he returned to Keene, where he now resides. He 
is a printer and publisher. From 1838 to 1843, he was a 
printer in the office of the Gazette, Nashua ; from 1843 to 



416 LIFE AND TIMES IN I EOPH I NT< >N. 

I860, he published The Oasis at Nashua; from I sr>i; bo 
L868, I ■ < ^ wns |>«it>lii~ili« ,> i* and editor of the Cheshire Republic 
oct/n, at Keene. Mr. Kimball has frequently been promoted 
to civil office. In I860, he was town-clerk of Nashville, 
Tenn.j Lu 1874 and L879, he was an alderman of the city 
of Keene j in 1879, 1882, and L888, he was ohosen mayor. 
ll(i was appointed a trustee of the State Industrial School 
l>v Governor Cheney and Mold the office five or six years. 
In I si 7, September 26, Mr. Kimball married Barah 
Smith Holmes, daughter of Samuel Holmes and Mary 
Annan, of Peterborough. Theyhave had children, Sam- 
uol Holmes, Adelaid Pearson, Edward Perry. 

Aaron Nk.wton KlMBALL, the won of Aaron Kimball 
and Eleanor ( 'aldwell, was born In Hopkinton, March, L82 I, 

and resided here mosl of Hie lime (ill L840, when lie went. 

to Nashua, and Learned the trade of a printer, In the office 
of the Gazette, No subsequently wenl to Mississippi 
where he taught sohool for a time, and afterwards entered 
the oilier of the Freetrader at Natohez. About I860, he 
returned to Manchester and worked in different newspaper 
offices. The northern olimate proving too severe, he 
returned to Mississippi, settled In Jackson, and beoame 
publisher of the Jmniisippicin, During the war he was 
state printer. Subsequently he wns a member of the Pilot 
publisning company and of the Arm of Kimball, Raymond 
& Co., stnte printers for several years. Later he wns a 

receiver of publie moneys under I'residenl (iarliold. lie 

has since been alderman of Jaokson and president of the 
board of supervisors of Hinds oounty. By apparent mill 
tary distinction heisoalled Major Kimball. 

In L862, he married Mary 0. Redden, of Jaokson, by 
whom he lias five children. 

David Kimball, son of David and Prisoilla (Herriok) 
Kimball, was born Maroh is, L791. Preparatory studies 
at Phillips Andover Aoademy ; graduated at Yule eolloge 

in L818, and Andover Tlieolo<;ie;d Seminary in 1821 ; 

ordained pastor of the Presbyterian ohuroh ai wartinsburg, 
N. Y ., June 27, I siiil ; soon alter organized a ohuroh at 
Lowville, a neighboring village, and was pastor of both till 
dismissed in January, 1881. Installed over the Congress 
tional ohuroh, Plainfleld, Mass., oolleague with Father Hal- 



Tl KNON Al, ANI> MKMiK AI'MIC \ I 



I I 1 



lark, January, L881; dismissed 1885. Editor of X. II. 
< >/>scrr,i\ afterwards ohanged to Confjreffationdl Journal^ 
is;.. »48, and publisher 1840 '48. Was aotino pastor al 
Hanover Centre, L846 '48; Superintendent ox the Dart 
im hi Mi Press, Hanover Centre* 1845 '48 1 al Hanover, 1848 
'68i Stated sunnh al Weathersfleld Centre, Vt, residing 
ni Hanover, 1861 66. Without oharge at Rookford, III., 
1807 '75, ;iini died there, February 6,1876. Represented 
I [anover in the legislal ure, 1 868 '68 
lli' married Elizabeth K\wh Carter, of Newburyport, 

Mums., AiijminI 6, L822. 

Mosbb Kimball, onoe i pastor of the Congregational 
ohuroh in this town, was the son of David Kimball and 
I'm lillii Herriok, and was born in Hopkinton, Julj 14, 
1790, where he passed his ohild hood, his father dying when 
he was only i f<'\\ weeks old, leaving his widov* with five 
ohildren, three of whom became ministers of the gospel. 
His mother having married again, he removed with her 
family i" Grantham, where he lived with his itep-father, 
mill worked several years on a farm. But wishing to enioj 
better advantages tor improvement, he gathered up nil nil 
worldly goods In a small bundle and walked in Conoord| 
where he served an apprenticeship to the printing bu line 
in the "Hire of the late George Hough, while In thisoffloe 
in- beoame Interested In religion, ana united with the Con 
gregational ohuroh In Conoord, under the pastoral care of 

Rev. Asa Mr l ( 'a i In ml, I I, I >. Mr now resolved tO |»i'('|in rn 

tor ilic ministry, and laid aside some of his earnings for 
thai purpose. Ilf fitted for college at the academy in 
Bradford, Mass., graduated at Dartmouth college in L820, 
ami ai the theological seminary In Indoverin Lo80, having 
spent about a yeat In teaohing aftei Leaving the college ana 
before entering the seminary. His first settlement was at 
West Randolpn, Vt., where he was ordained January !7. 
L881, and dismissed Nov* 26, L888. During his brief min 
ishv here he reoeived nearly seventy persons Into the 
ohuroh, the fruits of an Interesting revival. His next let 
tlement was in Hopkinton, his native town, where be was 
installed pastor of the Congregational ohuroh, May 7, 1884* 
and, after a ministry of about twelve years* was dismi 
July 15, 1848, During this pastorate he reoeived L16 to 
the ohuroh by profession, the fruit «»i four seasons ofrevi 
96 



418 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

val. Soon after his dismission, he received and declined a 
call from the Congregational church in Salisbury. Febru- 
ary 25, 1847, he was installed pastor of the Congregational 
church in Tewksbury, Mass., and dismissed May 15, 1849. 
He returned to Vermont in July, 1850, and became actiug 
pastor of the Congregational church in Weathersfield Bow 
and Ascutneyville. At the end of fifteen years, he closed 
his labors at the Bow, and continued to supply, half the 
time, about two years longer, at Ascutneyville, when he 
removed to East Haverhill, Mass., and became the stated 
supply of the Congregational church in that place, where 
he died September 17, 1868. 

In 1832, September 20, Rev. Mr. Kimball married Abby 
Osgood, the daughter of Bailey Bartlett, of Haverhill, Mass. 

John S. Kimball, the son of David Kimball and Aba- 
gail Perkins, was born in Pembroke, April 28, 1812. The 
subject of this sketch, when about 25 years of age, went to 
Concord and took a situation in a bakery, but disliked the 
business, and entered the printing-office of Hill & Sherburn, 
learning book and job work. Afterwards he entered the 
office of Hill & Barton. While yet an apprentice, he 
became celebrated as a card-printer, introducing enamelled 
work. For a time he attended school at New Hampton, 
where Hon. John Wentworth was then a student, and be- 
came one of the founders of the Social Fraternity Library. 
He did not quite finish his apprenticeship as a printer, and 
was a while in the Franklin book-store at Concord. He 
spent a short time in New Haven, Ct., and afterwards took 
charge of his brother's store in Boston. In the course of 
events, he obtained a position in the post-office at Portland, 
Me., where he remained about three years, being a portion 
of the time on night duty. Being of studious habits, he 
gave his attention to law ; he studied with District Attor- 
ney Haynes, of Cumberland county, and became associated 
with Robert Rantoul, in Boston. Being always subject to 
ill-health, he was compelled to give up law and turned his at- 
tention to trade. He went to Burlington, la., where he was 
associated with Joseph L. Kimball ; soon after, he became 
eastern agent and purchaser for an enterprising and prosper- 
ous firm. In 1872, in consequence of the great fire in Bos- 
ton, Mr. Kimball suffered severely, being in company with 
his two eldest sons in a mercantile business. 




John S. Kimball. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 419 

Not far from the year 1854, Mr. Kimball purchased a 
summer residence in Hopkinton, and became the owner of 
considerable real estate in the village and vicinity. His 
late residence in Hopkinton is now occupied at stated sea- 
sons of the year by Mrs. Kimball. Between Boston, Mass., 
and Hopkinton, Mr. Kimball's residence alternated for 
many years. Maintaining his political residence in Hopkin- 
ton, Mr. Kimball was elected representative to the General 
Court in 1866 and 1867. He was a man of a generous 
nature and a public spirit. 

In 1843, October 15, John S. Kimball married Mary E. 
Stevens, daughter of Dr. John Stevens and Mary Jameson. 
They had five children, — John Stevens, Robert Rantoul, 
Mary Grace, Kate Pearl, and George Alexander Stevens. 

Mr. Kimball died April 19, 1888, in Boston. 

John Stevens Kimball, the son of John Shackford 
Kimball and Mary Eldridge Stevens, was born in Boston, 
Mass., July 31, 1845. He was educated at the Phillips 
Grammar School, of Boston, Hopkinton academy, and the 
Taghconic Institute, at Lanesborough, Mass. In the course 
of events, he has resided at Burlington, la., from 1861 to 
1866 ; then a year in New York city ; in Boston again till 
1874; since then in Hopkinton. From 1868 till the great 
fire of November, 1872, he was in the wholesale small- ware 
trade in Boston in company with his father and brother, 
their store being in Winthrop Square. For a time John 
Stevens Kimball was one of the firm of Kimball & Harvey, 
afterwards Kimball & Co., in Hopkinton. From 1879 to 
1881, Mr. Kimball was register of deeds of Merrimack 
county ; in 1883, a representative of Hopkinton. He is a 
trial justice of the peace. 

In 1878, December 3, Mr. Kimball married Clara French, 
daughter of Reuben E. French and Sarah Chase, of Hopkin- 
ton. She died November 19, 1879, leaving one child, — 
John Prescott. In 1888, November 7, Mr. Kimball mar- 
ried Margaret A. French, of Hopkinton, sister of his first 
wife. 

Robert R. Kimball, the son of John Shackford Kimball 
and Mary Eldridge Stevens, was born in Boston, Mass., 
March 7, 1849. He attended school in his native city and 
at the Allen English and Classical School at West Newton, 



420 LIFE A3TD TIMES DsT HOPKINTON. 

Mass. Being engaged in mercantile pursuits, he resides in 
winter in Boston and in summer in Hopkinton. At sixteen 
years of age, he began working for Harding, Converse, 
Gray & Co., of Boston ; after two years, for Parker, Bacon, 
Kimball & Co : about 1869, for Hardy, Brown, Goss & Co., 
and until going into business on his own account in the 
firm of Kimball & Co., which was burned out in the great 
Boston fire of 1872. Soon after the fire, he began with 
Champney Brothers & Co., and later with Champney, Page 
& Co., till they closed, about 1875, from which time till 
now he has been with Brown, Durell & Co. Mr. Kimball 
has been in the jobbing dry goods and small-ware business, 
and has also been connected with the firms of Kimball & 
Harvey and Kimball & Co., of Hopkinton. 

In 1872, October 30, Mr. Kimball married Ella Louise 
Currier, daughter of Robert B. Currier and Eliza M. Win- 
ans, of New York city. 

Geoege A. S. Kimball, the son of John Shackford Kim- 
ball and Mary E. Stevens, was born in Boston, Mass., No- 
vember 26, 1853. He was educated at Allen's English and 
Classical School, West Newton, Mass. When twenty years 
of age, he went to Pittsfield, N. H., where he remained 
three years, residing since in Hopkinton. Previously to 
1882, he was a book-keeper, but since then he has been a 
member of the firm of Kimball & Co., of this town. 

In 1882, March 3, Mr. Kimball married Mary Theresa 
Greene, daughter of Cotton M. Greene and Caroline Moore, 
of Pittsfield. They have one son, — Robert Warren. 



SECTION XVII. 

KIMBALL KNOWLTON. 

Iddo K. Kimball, the son of Amos Kimball and Abby 
Hastings, was born in Bradford, Mass., June 4, 1813. In 
the course of his life, he has resided at Derry, Sutton, and 
Hopkinton, coming here in 1860. He is a shoemaker by 
trade, and is still in the service of the public at Contoocook, 
where he was four years a merchant. In militia days, he 
was an ensign, a lieutenant, and a captain. 

In 1837, December 12, Mr. Kimball married Anna Rich- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 421 

ardsoD, daughter of Zachariah Richardson and Sally Smith, 
of Litchfield. They have had children, — Warren E., The- 
resa F., Mary, Charles, George A., Carrie E. 

Warren C. Kimball, the son of Asa Kimball and Han- 
nah Little, was born in Hopkinton, July 19, 1829. In ma- 
ture life, he adopted the vocation of a contractor and 
builder, having learned the trade of a carpenter. He lived 
in the village of Contoocook till 1861; in San Francisco, 
Cal., till 1868; in Oakland, Cal., till 1870; since 1870, he 
has lived in National City, Cal. 

In 1857, Mr. Kimball married Flora M. Morrill, daughter 
of John Morrill and Hannah Hall, of Warner. 

Frank A. Kimball, the son of Asa Kimball and Han- 
nah Little, was born m Hopkinton, January 26, 1832. In 
early life, he learned the trade of a carpenter. He resided 
in the village of Contoocook till 1852 ; in Brighton, Mass., 
till 1853; in Jamaica Plain, Mass., till 1854; in Contoo- 
cook, till 1861 ; in San Francisco, Cal., till 1863 ; in Oak- 
land, Cal., till 1868; since 1868, in National City, Cal. 
For a time in Contoocook he was engaged in trade. In 
1868, Warren C. and Frank A. Kimball purchased the 
Ranch de la Nacion, containing 26,632 acres, or 42 square 
miles of land, in San Diego county, Cal. The ranch had a 
water frontage of more than six miles on the harbor of San 
Diego. In 1869, they laid out National City, and in 1871 
built the largest and finest wharf in the state, for the ac- 
commodation of the Texas Pacific R. R. Company, and 
costing $40,000. The failure of the railroad company made 
the investment a total loss. In 1880, the brothers Kimball 
organized the California Southern R. R. Company, of Bos- 
ton capitalists, and gave the organization 10,000 acres of 
land to secure the capital to build the road from its grand 
terminus in National City to its connection with the Atlan- 
tic & Pacific Railway. Messrs. Kimball have also planted 
the most extensive olive orchard in the United States. 

In 1857, April 19, Frank A. Kimball married Sarah Cur- 
rier, daughter of Zebulon Currier and Melvina F. Collins, 
of Warner. 

Elbridge Gerry Kimball, the son of Daniel Kimball 
and Asenath Herrick, was born in Hopkinton, July 6, 1831, 



422 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

being a direct descendant of Aaron Kimball, one of the 
earlier settlers in Hopkinton. Mr. Kimball is a farmer and 
mill-owner, who lives upon the farm originally settled by 
his grandfather, Aaron Kimball, 2d, father of Daniel. From 
1881 to 1885, Elbridge G. Kimball was a member of the 
superintending school-committee. 

In 1857, June 21, Mr. Kimball married Mary S. Butler, 
daughter of John Butler and Mary Andrews, of Boscawen. 
They have had children, — Emma B., Herbert H., Nelson D., 
Mary L. 

Hazen Kimball, the son of John Kimball and Lydia 
Clough, was born in Hopkinton in 1802, and always resided 
in this town. In early life, he attended the school of Mas- 
ter John O. Ballard. He was a farmer. In 1830, 1831, 
1836, and 1840, he was collector of taxes. In 1842, he 
was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 40th Regiment of 
New Hampshire militia; in 1843, he was commissioned 
colonel. 

In 1828, he married Mary Ann Baker, daughter of Mar- 
shall Baker and Naomi Hoyt, of Concord. They had chil- 
dren, — John Marshall, born 1828 ; Charles Carroll, born 
April 7, 1831 ; Mary Ann, born 1834 ; Stephen Sibley, born 
1836; Sullivan Cicero, born July 21, 1838; Susan Baker, 
born March 28, 1841 ; Clarion Hazen, born 1843 ; Robert 
Emmet, born 1850. 

Colonel Kimball died March 28, 1877 ; his wife, Novem- 
ber 3, 1877. 

Sullivan Cicero Kimball, Freewill Baptist clergy- 
man, son of Col. Hazen and Mary A. Baker, was born July 
21, 1838. Preparatory studies at Hopkinton academy ; 
graduated at Dartmouth college in 1860 ; teacher of a 
female seminary, Albany, N. Y., 1860, six months ; became 
commissioner of deeds in December, 1860 ; began studying 
for the ministry in the fall of 1863 at the Biblical Institute, 
in Concord, now Boston University, graduating in 1866. 
Licensed to preach by the Freewill Baptists at North Weare, 
January 27, 1864; began labor at North Weare, Jan. 17, 
1864. He was principal of Contoocook academy, briefly 
from February, 1864. Ordained pastor, July 30, 1865, at 
North Weare ; dismissed July 30, 1867. Pastor at New- 
market, from August 1, 1867, to March 1, 1869 ; at Wells, 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 423 

Me., from March 1, 1869, to January 31, 1870 ; at Gilford 
Village, from February, 1871, to January 31, 1875 ; at Straf- 
ford Centre, from February 1, 1875, to January 31, 1880. 
Without regular charge, at Newmarket, since May, 1880. 
Read law in 1860-61, and edited The Republican Statesman, 
1861-63, in Albany, N. Y., and was its reporter of state 
senate debates from October, 1861, to April, 1863. Prin- 
cipal of Contoocook academy, l863-'65 ; of Riverside acad- 
emy, of North Weare, 1865-67; of Austin academy, Centre 
Strafford, 1875-80. Secretary of New Hampshire Anti- 
Secret Christian Association, since 1875. He has edited 
and published The Christian Witness monthly, since 1879. 
He is a life member of several benevolent societies. He 
has written and lectured much against Freemasonry, and 
for this has been much persecuted and met the violence of 
four furious mobs. Received his A. M. from Dartmouth 
college in 1865. 

He married Julia A., daughter of Daniel Aver, of 
Albany, N. Y., February 12, 1866. She died October 29, 
1866, at North Weare; (2) Ednah A., daughter of J. 
Weare Shaw, of Kensington, May 25, 1868. Publications : 
(1) Volume of Poems, 1858 ; (2) Facts for the People, an 
Anti-Masonic Tract ; (3) The Funeral Discourse of Mrs. 
Lillian (Tasker) Foss, Strafford, May 20, 1877. 

Clarion H. Kimball, the son of Col. Hayes Kimball 
and Mary Ann Baker, was born in Hopkinton, October 11, 
1843. The son of a farmer, he in early life evinced a taste 
for intellectual pursuits. Upon the event of the Rebellion 
of 1861, he turned his attention to the army, and in 1862, 
August 27, he was mustered into Company E, 2d Regi- 
ment of United States Sharp-shooters. He was promoted 
to corporal, and, on the 16th of October, 1864, he was dis- 
charged to accept further promotion. He was commissioned 
1st lieutenant of Company G, 18th Regiment of N. H. 
Vols., on the 24th of January, 1865, and promoted to cap- 
tain on the 29th of the following July, but was mustered 
out as 1st lieutenant the same day. During service, Cap- 
tain Kimball was in every battle of the Army of the Poto- 
mac after September, 1862, with one exception. Subse- 
quently to the war, Captain Kimball turned his attention to 
the profession of the ministry. Being educated at Bates 
college and the Chicago Baptist Theological Seminary, he 



424 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

successively resided or preached in Union, Wis., Chicago, 
111., Dubuque, la., Philadelphia, Pa., Manchester, arid 
Holyoke, Mass., where he has resided since 1886. While 
in Philadelphia, he was instrumental in erecting one of the 
finest church edifices in the city, the auditorum being of a 
unique pattern designed by himself, and pronounced one of 
the most beautiful in the country. While in Manchester, 
he was pastor of the most influential Baptist church in the 
state, his pastorate running four years from 1882. While 
in Manchester, he was chairman of the executive committee 
of the Board of Managers of the N. H. Baptist State Con- 
vention. His last church, the Second Baptist, of Holyoke, 
is composed of 600 members, and is very influential. During 
his residence here, he induced the church to establish two 
important missions at an expense of about $10,000. He also 
added over 150 to the membership. Rev. Mr. Kimball is 
now giving special attention to the work of an evangelist, 
having resigned the pastorate of the Holyoke church the 
present year. In 1878, while residing in the West, Mr. 
Kimball was admitted to the bar, having pursued the requi- 
site study as an incident of his professional career. 

In 1866, October 9, Mr. Kimball married Lucy A. Chal- 
len, daughter of John Challen, M. D., and Mary Kavanaugh, 
of Springfield, 111. Mrs. Kimball is of the famous Kava- 
naugh family, of Kentucky, being a niece of the Rev. H. H. 
Kavanaugh, for years the presiding bishop of the M. E. 
church. Three living children are the result of this union. 
They are, — Alice Mary, Jennie Eva, Grace Lu Clarion. 

Nathaniel Knowlton, the son of Ezekiel Knowlton 
and Elizabeth Woodbury, was born about 1780, and died 
July 13, 1833, aged 53 years. His home was in the Jewett 
Road district, where Martin T. Crowell now lives. Nathan- 
iel Knowlton was called captain and esquire, and was many 
years one of Hopkinton's most prominent citizens. From 
1807 to 1810, in 1812 and 1813, from 1820 to 1825, in 1829 
and 1830, and iu 1833, he was a selectman of the town ; 
in 1815 and 1816, moderator of town-meeting ; in 1821, 
1824, 1825, 1827, and 1828, representative to the General 
Court ; in 1831 and 1832, state senator. 

Nathaniel Knowlton was twice married. His first wife 
was Susan Greeley, of Hopkinton. His second wife was 
Mary Connor, of Henniker. There were children of 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 425 

Nathaniel Knowlton, — Nathaniel Woodbury, Susan Greeley, 
Mary Connor, Sarah Trussel. 

Ariel Parish Knowlton, the son of Daniel Knowl- 
ton and Mary Stocker, was born in Hopkinton, February 27, 
1795. He appears to have always resided in Hopkinton. 
He was a shoemaker by trade, and kept a boot and shoe 
store many years in the building where Miss Sabrina Davis 
now lives. He was a long time the sexton of the Congre- 
gational church. 

In 1820, December 19, Mr. Knowlton married Abigail 
Lee. They had children, — Edward Lee, George Cogswell, 
Mary Cogswell, Miranda Greeley, John Hartwell, the latter 
dying in infancy and being succeeded by another son of the 
same name. 

Mr. Knowlton died September 2, 1866 ; Mrs. Knowlton, 
December 12, 1874. 

Daniel Stocker Coffin Knowlton, the son of Daniel 
Knowlton and Mary Stocker, was born in Hopkinton, 
December 11, 1798. He was a printer, and was for a time 
the editor of a Lowell, Mass., paper, and subsequently of 
the Worcester, Mass., Palladium. 

In 1829, September 27, Mr. Knowlton married Anna 
Wheeler Hartwell, daughter of John and Anna Hartwell. 
They had children, — Frank, Helen Maria, Frances Ann, 
Lucy Emma, Elizabeth C, John Albert, Frederick, Edward 
Hartwell, Charles Theodore. 

Mr. Knowlton died June 11, 1871. 

Francis Proctor Knowlton, the son of Daniel Knowl- 
ton and Mary Stocker, was born in Hopkinton, December 1, 
1811. He attended Master John O. Ballard's school and 
was a student of Hopkinton academy. He was a jeweller 
who once kept a shop on the site of the present Baptist 
parsonage. He resided in Hopkinton till 1834, in Clare- 
niont till 1837, in Hopkinton till 1855, and in Littleton, 
Mass., till his death. Mr. Knowlton was town-clerk of 
Hopkinton from 1847 to 1850, and again in 1854. He was 
representative to the General Court in 1850 and 1852. 

In 1838, October 25, Mr. Knowlton married Mary Dix 
Hartwell, daughter of John Hartwell and Anna Wheeler, 
of Littleton, Mass. They had children, — George Hartwell, 
Ellen Frances, Sarah Maria, Mary Dix. 



426 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Mr. Knowlton died March 16, 1887. He is said to have 
been the inventor of the wire-screen corn-popper, afterwards 
improved by Amos Kelley, of Hopkinton. 

George Haetwell Knowlton, the son of Francis Proc- 
tor Knowlton and Mary Dix Hartwell, was born in Hop- 
kinton, November 6, 1839. He lived in Hopkinton till 
1855 ; in Littleton, Mass., till 1869 ; in Methuen, Mass., till 
1870 ; in Lowell, Mass., till 1883 ; since then in Los 
Angeles, Cal. He is an engineer by calling. He is the 
compiler of the genealogy of the Knowlton family. 

In 1868, January 1, Mr. Knowlton married Isabel I. John- 
son, daughter of Richard Johnson and Jane Kemp, of Low- 
ell, Mass. They have had children, — Clara Dix, Hattie 
Hartwell, Irene Isabel. 

Josiah Smith Knowlton, the son of Robert and 
Jemima Knowlton, was born March 12, 1796, in Hopkinton, 
and died December 4, 1874. He was a merchant and 
farmer, who lived many years in Hopkinton village. He 
was many years a deacon of the Baptist church. In 1841 
and 1842, he was a representative to the General Court. 

Deacon Knowlton was twice married. His first wife was 
Susan Smith, whom he married February 18, 1823. She 
died September 11, 1836. 

His second wife was Roxana "Wilcox, whom he married 
March 15, 1839. She died May 15, 1871. 



SECTION XVIII. 

LEENED — LYEOED. 

Ebenezee Leened, the first liberally educated physi- 
cian in Hopkinton, was born in Medford, Mass., October 6, 
1762, being a son of Thomas Lerned and Hannah Brooks. 
He graduated at Harvard college in 1787. Deciding to 
pursue the profession of medicine, he studied with Dr. E. 
A. Holyoke, of Salem, Mass., and attended medical lect- 
ures at Hanover, N. H. He began practice in Leominster, 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 427 

Mass., and also taught school there, but, not rinding suffi- 
cient medical patronage, he came to Hopkinton about the 
beginning of the present century. Becoming successful in 
practice, he attained to professional prosperity, and became 
identified in various enterprises looking to the welfare of 
the town and state. He gave a great deal of attention to 
agriculture, and was a promotor of early attempts at im- 
proved culture. He encouraged agricultural exhibitions, 
one or more being held on his own premises. He was the 
first president of the Merrimack County Agricultural So- 
ciety, founded soon after the establishment of the county 
in 1823. 

Dr. Lerned was liberally disposed to the cause of educa- 
tion. He was the virtual founder of Hopkinton academy 
in 1827, giving the establishment a fund of $500. In 
many ways his life illustrated his public benevolence. He 
gave $300 to the city of Cambridge, Mass. In his last 
will and testament, he gave two bequests of $500 each to 
to the town of Hopkinton. One of them was to be the 
principal of a female charity fund, and the other that of a 
fund for the purchase of school-books. 

In his chosen profession, Ebenezer Lerned was distin- 
guished. He received the degree of Doctor of Medicine 
from Dartmouth college, and was the first delegate from 
the New Hampshire Medical Society to that institution. 
He was vice-president of the State Medical Society at the 
time of his death. 

For a time, Dr. Lerned was engaged in mercantile pur- 
suits in Hopkinton, being at one time a partner of Stephen 
Sibley. During his residence in this town, Dr. Lerned 
built the house now occupied by the Misses Lerned, his 
daughters, in the village. 

In 1802, Ebenezer Lerned married Mary Hall, of London- 
derry. They had four children, — Louisa, Mary Eliza, Marga- 
ret, Brooks Holyoke. Mrs. Lerned died November 22, 1813, 
and on the 28th of September, 1814, Dr. Lerned married 
Catherine Perkins, of Hopkinton, daughter of Timothy 
Perkins and Hannah Trowbridge. Five children were the 
result of this marriage. Their names are Catherine Crosby 
Perkins, Edward Augustus, Hannah Brooks, Lucy Ann, 
Elizabeth Trowbridge. 

Dr. Ebenezer Lerned died October 6, 1831. His second 
wife died September 30, 1869. 



428 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

William Little was born in Atkinson, Mass. In early 
life he was a clerk for Joseph Towne, a Hopkinton mer- 
chant; later, a hotel clerk in Norwich, Vt.: subsequently, 
in trade with Samuel Greenleaf, of Salisbury ; afterwards, 
a merchant in Hopkinton ; last, a Hopkinton farmer. He 
served in the war of 1812, and was called Major Little. 

Major Little married Elizabeth Wiggin, daughter of Ben- 
jamin Wiggin and Elizabeth Clement, of Hopkinton. 
They had children, — Timothy Wiggin, Mary Eliza, 'Ellen 
Chase. 

Maj. William Little died February 23, 1864, aged 83; 
his wife, April 20, 1868, aged 85. 

Isaac Long, the son of Enoch and Abigail Long, was 
born in West Newbury, Mass., in 1765. Eventually com- 
ing to Hopkinton, he lived many years identified with 
many social enterprises and improvements. His home was 
where Joseph L. Hagar now lives. He was a teacher of 
vocal music. He was prominent in the Congregational 
church, being years a deacon. 

In 1793, December 17, Isaac Long married Susanna 
Kimball, daughter of Abel Kimball and Mary Chandler, of 
Hopkinton. They had children, — John C, born October 
6, 1794; Nancy E., born March 17, 1796; Rufus W., born 
December 28, 1797; Nancy H., born October 17, 1799; 
David C.,born September 19, 1801; Laura S., born August 
10, 1803; Sally K , born July 15, 1805; Edward J., born 
August 22, 1807; Isaac C, born September 19, 1809; 
Charles E., born July 6, 1811; William H., born Septem- 
ber 9, 1813 ; Enoch H., born December 18, 1815. 

Dea. Isaac Long died January 10, 1840; his wife, Octo- 
ber 29, 1855. 

Dea. Isaac Long, Enoch Long, and Moses Long were 
brothers. Enoch Long lived on the Jewett road, and 
Moses Long on Emerson's hill. Moses Long was the 
father of Col. Stephen H. Long, mentioned hereafter. 

William H. Long, the son of Isaac Long and Susanna 
Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, September 9, 1813, and 
was fitted for college at Hopkinton academy. He entered 
Yale, and was graduated in 1840, afterwards receiving his 
A. M, from the same institution. He had a high rank as a 
scholar. Mr. Long began a theological course, graduating 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 429 

in 1844, but was obliged to give up preaching on account 
of his voice. He taught school at Utica, N. Y., and then 
went to Boston, Mass., where he was appointed sub-master 
of the old Washington school of Roxbury. When the 
Dearborn school was formed, Mr. Long became head-master 
there. He began his service September 4, 1847, and con- 
tinued at the Dearborn school until September 1, 1882, 
when his resignation was accepted by the school-committee 
with expressions of appreciation for his long and honorable 
service and of high esteem for him as a gentleman. Mr. 
Long died November 5, 1886. 

In 1845, December 25, William H. Long married Lucia 
A. D. Rollins, daughter of Dea. Benjamin Rollins and 
Martha W. Nevens, of Hopkinton. In memory of her hus- 
band, she is now erecting the William H. Long Memorial 
Building in Hopkinton village, for the occupation of the 
New Hampshire Antiquarian Society. 

Stephen H. Long, the son of Moses Long and Lucy 
Harriman, was born in Hopkinton, December 30, 1784. 
He graduated from Dartmouth college in 1809. He entered 
the service of the United States, and was made a second 
lieutenant of engineers on the 12th of December, 1814, and 
in 1815, received an appointment as professor of mathe- 
matics at the West Point Military Academy. In 1816, April 
29, he was made a brevet major of topographical engineers; 
in 1838, July 7, a major ; in 1826, April 29, a brevet lieu- 
tenant-colonel of the army ; in 1861, September 9, a colonel. 
In 1863, March 4, he returned to the engineer corps, and, 
on the 1st of the next June, being in infirm health, he was 
retired. From 1818 to 1823, Colonel Long had charge of 
governmental explorations of the territory between the 
Mississippi river and the Rocky Mountains, discovering the 
peak in Colorado which now bears his name. In 1823 and 
1824, he explored the sources of the Mississippi ; from 
1827 to 1830, he was engaged in surveying the line of the 
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad ; from 1837 to 1840, he was 
engineer in chief of the Atlantic & Great Western Rail- 
road, having about the same time duties connected with 
the proposed national road from Portland, Me., to Canada ; 
about 1860, he was assigned to duties relating to improv- 
ing navigation at the mouth of the Mississippi ; at the out- 
break of the Rebellion he was called to Washington, where 



430 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

he was on duty at the war department till retired as 
related. 

From 1835 to 1838, Colonel Long resided in Hopkinton, 
living in the house now owned by Robert R. Kimball. 
During this time he was specially active in local public 
enterprises. He was the principal mover in the local 
attempt at successful silk manufacture. The draining of 
the village Frog-pond was also a special result of his energy 
and enterprise. He is said to have induced the construc- 
tion of improved local bridges. 

In 1819, March 3, Stephen M. Long married Martha 
Hodgkins, of Philadelphia, Pa. Her mother was Sarah 
Dewces, sister of William Dewces, M. D., an eminent physi- 
cian of Philadelphia. The children of Stephen H. Long 
were, — William Dewces, born October 11, 1820; Henry 
Clay, born February 18, 1822; Richard Harlan, born Octo- 
ber 3,1824; Edwin James, born June 11, 1829; Lucy, 
born October 13, 1832. Colonel Long died September 4, 
1764; Mrs. Long, September 11, 1873; both died at Alton, 
111. 

Isaac Long, the son of Enoch Long and Mary Kim- 
ball, was born in Hopkinton. His father was a book-binder 
and farmer, and the son followed the same calling. For 
years Isaac Long's book-bindery and book-store stood next 
east of the present Congregational vestry, Mr. Long's resi- 
dence being in the same building. 

Isaac Long married Abigail Hilton, whose father was 
Aaron Hilton and whose mother's maiden name was 
Ober. They had children, — Harriet, born June 24, 1816 ; 
Horatio H., born March 25, 1819 ; Enoch, born December 
10, 1823. 

Isaac Long died September 18, 1861. 

Enoch Long, the son of Isaac Long and Abigail Hilton, 
was born in Hopkinton, December 10, 1823. In early life 
he attended Hopkinton academy. He is a photographer. 
He lived in Hopkinton till 1842, then travelled four years, 
then lived in St. Louis, Mo., till 1866, then in Quincy, 111., 
till the present time. He has been many years a deacon 
of the Congregational church. 

In 1853, September 21, Mr. Long married Sarah C. Mil- 
ler, daughter of Joseph Miller and Sarah M. Burnham, of 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 431 

Quincy. They have had children, — Arthur H., Harriet 
E., Ella M., George E. 

Charles Lord, the son of Humphrey Lord and Lydia 
Leavitt, was born in South Berwick, Me., December 27, 
1812. In early manhood he learned the trade of a machin- 
ist, and eventually became very proficient in his calling. 
He worked in all many years in South Berwick, Boston, 
Mass., Maryland, Newmarket, Lawrence, Mass., and Con- 
cord. At Newmarket he was very successful as a con- 
tractor to build and repair machinery for the late Samuel 
Brooks and the Newmarket Manufacturing Company. In 
consequence of constant ill-health he was compelled to 
seek the farm, and in 1846 he purchased a home in Hop- 
kinton, where he resided most of the time afterwards, 
being absent a part of the time for years while he partially 
devoted himself to his trade. His readiness in various 
kinds of work made him a frequent reliance of his neigh- 
bors and townsmen. In 1838, February 25, Charles Lord 
married Sarah Hubbard, daughter of John Hubbard and 
Ruth Chase, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Lydia, 
Charles C, George E. In early life Mr. Lord was a musi- 
cian, performing publicly on different martial and orches- 
tral instruments. 

• 
Philanda M. Lord, the son of Thomas Lord and 
Salinda Messer, was born in Dunbarton, August 6, 1850. 
From 1859 to 1875 he lived in Hopkinton, afterwards 
returning to Dunbarton, where he has repeatedly been 
selected for important official trusts, as selectman, member 
of school-board, etc. In 1870, December 22, Mr. Lord 
married Ellen L. Kimball, daughter of Moses T. Kimball 
and Harriet Emerson, of Hopkinton. They have one 
child, — Neva B. 

Arthur P. Lovejoy, the son of Gil man Lovejoy and 
Mary H. Drake, was born in Littleton, February 15, 1843. 
In the course of his life, he has resided in Brookfield, 
Royal ton, and other places in Vermont, and in Clare- 
mont and Bradford. Since 1881, he has resided in Con- 
toocook in this town. During the late war he served in 
Company C, 1st Vermont Cavalry, being a soldier from 
1862 to 1865. His present occupation is that of a railroad 
trackman. 



432 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In 1867, December 27, Mr. Lovejoy married Mary E. 
Coburn, daughter of Ira Coburn and Nancy Bucklin, of 
Royalton, Vt. They have had children, — Charles N., 
Annie M. 

Benjamin Loveren, the son of Ebenezer Loveren and 
Eunice Hadlock, was born in Deering, September 11, 1805. 
In 1826, he came to Hopkinton, where he resided till his 
death, May 14, 1885. His home was in the Tyler district, 
where his only son and only child, Ebenezer Loveren, 
now lives. Benjamin Loveren was one of the most pros- 
perous farmers of the town. In 1839, 1840, and 1842, he 
was a selectman; in 1848 and 1849, a representative to the 
General Court. He was three years a captain of militia. 

In September, 1826, Benjamin Loveren married Esther 
Bartlett, daughter of Solomon and Anna Bartlett, of Deer- 
ing. She died October 29, 1881. 

Francis Hubbard Lyford, the son of Dudley Lyford 
and Nancy Greene, was born in Pittsfield, September 19 r 
1820. He was educated in Pittsfield, at Clinton Grove in 
Weare, and in Keytesville, Mo. He resided in Pittsfield 
till 1836; in Keytesville, Mo., till 1841; in Pittsfield till 
1847; in Barnstead till 1849; in California till 1852; in 
Manchester till 1857; and subsequently in Holderness, 
Randolph and Thetford, Vt., Lebanon, Me , Hampton, 
Laconia, Haverhill, Mass., Meredith, Littleton, and Con- 
toocook, where he came in April, 1886. He was represent- 
ative to the General Court from Pittsfield in 1846 and 
1847; city clerk of Manchester in 1855 and 1856; railroad 
commissioner from 1855 to 1857. In the palmy days of 
the old New Hampshire militia system, he was commander 
of the Jackson Guards, adjutant of the 18th Regiment, and 
a brigade and division inspector. In the literary field, he 
is the compiler of "Reminiscences of Pittsfield" and 
"Thirty Years' Experience in the Freewill Baptist Min- 
istry." He also served on the historical committee of 
Littleton. The Proceedings of Littleton's Centennial con- 
tain his address on Agriculture. In 1859, Mr. Lyford 
entered the work of the Freewill Baptist ministry, being 
licensed by the Sandwich Quarterly Meeting. In 1860, he 
was ordained at Randolph, Vt., by the Strafford Quarterly 
Meeting, and he has since preached in the places named in 




Rev. Francis h. Lyford. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 433 

the foregoing list as residences succeeding Randolph in 
order. 

The experience of the Rev. Mr. Lyford suggests the 
marked changes in popular conveniences in later years. 
When, a youth, he left Clinton Grove in Weare to join his 
oldest brother in Keytesville, Mo., he took a journey of 
forty-two days by stage, canal, and steamboat. When, in 
February, 1849, he began the journey to California, he 
shipped from Boston, Mass., on the schooner Edwin from 
Newburyport, Mass., bound for Chagres ; he crossed the 
isthmus to Panama ; subsequently he returned to New 
Orleans, La., proceeded up the Mississippi river, and at 
length crossed the plains westward with ox teams, arriving 
in California late in September, gaining an experience in 
travel known to but few persons of the present day. He 
lived in the California mines two years, and subsequently 
returned to New England, satisfied with his native boun- 
daries. 

Rev. Mr. Lyford is a Templar Mason, an Odd Fellow of 
the Patriarchal degree, a Son of Malta, a Knight of Pythias, 
and a member of several temperance organizations. 

In 1845, January 29, Francis H. Lyford married Eunice 
T. Pickering, daughter of Daniel Pickering and Comfort 
Pease, of Barnstead, who died January 3, 1852. They had 
children, — Nancy C. and Ardenia E. His second wife was 
Catherine S. Cox, daughter of James and Susanna E. Cox, 
of Holderness, whom he married May 13, 1852. They 
have had children, — James D., Eva C, Kate I. 



SECTION XIX. 

MERRILL — MORSE. 

Isaac Merrill was born in Hollis, June 15, 1784. In 
the course of his life, he resided in Hillsborough, Portland, 
Me., Troy, N. Y., and Hopkinton. He lived in Contoocook 
many years, where he conducted a leading business as a 
cooper, and where he died, September 8, 1883, at the age of 
99 years, 2 months, and 24 days. 

Mr. Merrill was thrice married. His first wife was Mary 
W\ man, of Deering, who died May 31, 1843 ; his second, 
27 



434 LIFE AOT) TIMES EST HOPKINTON. 

Clarissa Dow, of Concord, who died February 16, 1854 ; 
his third, Betsey Monroe, of Henniker, who died March, 
1879. The following were children of Isaac Merrill : Cla- 
rinda, Isaac D., Milton W., James M., Emily, Caroline, 
Annette. 

Isaac D. Merrill, the son of Isaac Merrill and Mary 
Wyman, was born in Hopkinton, October 1, 1814. At the 
time of his birth, his father, a cooper by trade, resided in 
Hopkinton village, but when the subject of this sketch was 
an infant, the family moved to Hillsborough. When about 
ten years old, Isaac D. Merrill went to Newport, to live 
with an uncle of the name of John Smith. In a short time 
he returned to Hillsborough, worked for his father, and 
went to school. When about fourteen years of age, he 
came to Contoocook to learn the trade of a clothier with 
Joab Patterson. He stayed at Contoocook one year, and 
then farmed two seasons in Hillsborough. About the year 
1831, Isaac Merrill moved to Contoocook, where Isaac D. 
Merrill worked at coopering with Isaac Bailey. Then the 
son went to Weare and tended store two or three years for 
Enos Merrill, a person of no relation to the family of Isaac 
Merrill. His master failing in business, Isaac D. Merrill 
went to Peering as a clerk for Enoch Cilley, with whom he 
remained about a year. He then gave about a year to the 
coopering business, and next spent five years as a manager 
of hotels in Boston and Maiden, Mass. About the year 
1841, Isaac D. Merrill returned to Contoocook and went 
into trade with his brother, Milton W. Merrill, and in about 
six years, his brother's health failing, he succeeded to the 
whole business, which he conducted till 1855, when he sold 
out to Philip B. Putney and Dudley C. Hubbard. Isaac D. 
Merrill's store was in what is now Jones's building, at the 
corner of the highway bridge over the Contoocook river. 
The subject of this sketch has been frequently the incum- 
bent of civil office. From 1848 to 1854, from 1856 to 1860, 
in 1873, and from 1879 to 1889, he has been town treas- 
urer. From 1853 to 1861, he was post-master of Contoo- 
cook. In 1854 and 1856, he was a representative to the 
General Court. He has been a justice of the peace since 
1843. The subject of this sketch has been noted for his 
financial skill for many years and has settled many estates 
and done all those services naturally falling to the lot of a 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 435 

person of his peculiar abilities. He is a large owner of real 
estate and one of the largest tax-payers in the town. 

Mr. Merrill has never married. He still resides at Con- 
toocook. 

Charles Merrill, the son of Parker Merrill and 
Rebecca Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, December 30, 
1808. He was a cooper and farmer. In 1830 and 1831, 
he went fishing for codfish and mackerel off the coast of the 
British Provinces. He was a captain of light infantry from 
1833 to 1836. 

In 1832, November 25, he married Emily E. Emerson, 
daughter of Samuel Emerson and Matilda Gould, of Hop- 
kinton. They had children, — Charles H., born December 9, 
1833 ; Samuel W., born November 8, 1835 ; Eva L., born 
September 5, 1840. 

Parker Merrill, many years a tesident of this town, 
was born in Groton, February 5, 1820, being a son of Enos 
Merrill and Joanna Allen. He resided during a portion of 
his earlier manhood in Nashua, where he was engaged as a 
manufacturer. He then moved to Hopkinton, where he has 
since resided as a farmer. While in Nashua, he was four- 
teen years a fireman. 

In 1840, he married Betsey Allen, daughter of David 
Allen and Polly Lakin, of Nashua. They had one son, — 
George E. Mrs. Merrill died in 1876, and the next year 
Mr. Merrill married Jane R. Colburn, of Hopkinton. 

John M. Milton, the son of Daniel Milton and Judith 
Pressey, was born in Henniker, November 25, 1814. In 
the course of his life he has resided in Concord, Woburn, 
Mass., Claremont, Lebanon, and Hopkinton. He has been 
many years a justice of the peace and a number of times 
deputy sheriff. 

In 1835, December 3, he married Lydia Cummings, 
daughter of Lewis Cummings and Lydia Knights, who bore 
him two children, — John Lewis, and Charles A. Mrs. Mil- 
ton died July 6, 1839. In 1840, March 19, Mr. Milton 
married Mary Severance, daughter of Benjamin Severance 
and Betsey Dodge, of Claremont. They had children, — 
Mary Elizabeth, Sarah Jane, James P., Ellen S., John L., 
George Walker. Mrs. Milton died March 4, 1888. 



436 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

John M. Milton is the grandson of Thomas Stone, a 
Revolutionary soldier, whose son, Daniel, changed his sur- 
name from Stone to Milton, and who was at one time a. 
school-teacher in Concord. 

William Montgomeey, the son of John W. Montgom- 
ery and Mary Burbank, was born in Salem, N. Y., April 24, 
1824. He attended school at Washington (N. Y.) acad- 
emy. In manhood he became a carpenter and joiner. He 
lived in Salem till fifteen years of age, and then learned his 
trade in the city of New York. In 1846, he enlisted in the 
U. S. Navy, for the Mexican war and served three years. 
At the close of the war, he came to New Hampshire, making 
his home in Hopkinton since 1861. In 1861, June 5, 
William Montgomery was mustered into the United States, 
service as corporal of Company H, 2d Regiment N. H. 
Vols.; was promoted to first sergeant ; promoted to second 
lieutenant June 18, 1863 ; transferred to Company C, and 
wounded severely on the 2d of July, 1863 ; he was trans- 
ferred to Company H, and mustered out June 21, 1864. He 
represented Hopkinton at the General Court in 1881. 

In 1850, September 22, Mr. Montgomery married Lucy 
A. Savory, daughter of Daniel Savory and Mary Straw, of 
Warner. They have had children, — Albert, Jerome, Scott, 
Guy, Levi, Clara A. 

Francis R. Mooee, the son of Jason Moore and Susan 
Williams, was born in Nashua in 1827 In 1828, he came 
to Hopkinton, where he resided till 1872, when he went to 
Newport, where he now lives. He is a shoemaker and 
farmer. During the late war, he served in the 9th Regi- 
ment N. H. Vols., Company B, being mustered in July 12, 
1862, and mustered out June 10, 1865. 

In 1849, he married Abbie N. Carr, daughter of John 
Carr and Drucilla Blaisdell, of Newport. They have chil- 
dren, — Frank, Ella. 

Richaed F. Moegan, the son of Timothy Morgan and 
Mary Hoyt, was born in Hopkinton, April 30, 1815, and 
always resided in this town. He was a farmer. He was 
frequently for many years a teacher of schools in this town 
and others in the vicinity. He was also a teacher of sing- 
ing-schools and chorister of the Baptist church. In 1842,. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 437 

he was commissioned quartermaster of the 40th Regiment 
N. H. Militia; in 1844, 1845, 1855, 1866, 1867, 1869, and 
1870, he was a member of the superintending school-com- 
mittee or the sole incumbent of the office ; in 1854, 1855, 
1869, and 1870, a selectman. 

In 1838, October 18, Richard F. Morgan married Mary 
Ann Allen, daughter of Benjamin Allen and Hannah Wade, 
of East Providence, R. I. They had children, — Frank W., 
Mary Jane, Benjamin Allen. 

Mr. Morgan died May 30, 1880 ; his wife, November 28, 
1884. 

Frank W. Morgan, the son of Richard F. Morgan and 
Mary Ann Allen, was born in Hopkinton, July 22, 1840. 
Excepting about two years in Concord, and the same length 
of time in Weare, he has always resided in Hopkinton. In 
youth he attended Hopkinton academy, and is a farmer. 
During the late war, he served in the 2d Regiment N. H. 
Vols., participating in all its battles except the first Bull 
Run, and was never wounded or taken prisoner. He was 
mustered into Company B, September 20, 1861 ; promoted to 
corporal, Aug. 9, 1862 ; promoted to sergeant, July 1, 1863 ; 
reenlisted, January 1, 1864 ; commissioned first lieutenant, 
June 24, 1864; commissioned captain, Company F, April 1, 
1865 ; mustered out, December 19, 1865. Captain Morgan 
has been prominent in civil affairs. He was a supervisor 
of Hopkinton in 1880 and representative in 1885. 

In 1865, January, Frank W. Morgan married Fannie A. 
Jones, daughter of Thomas B. Jones and Aurelia Harring- 
ton, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Arthur B., Jennie 
A., Fannie J. Mrs. Morgan died May 24, 1872, and in 
1875, April 3, Captain Morgan married Linda M. Bohonan, 
daughter of Samuel B. Bohonan and Ellen Stuart, of Hop- 
kinton. They have children, — Stuart A., Warren F., 
Ellen G., Richard F. 

Jonathan M. Morrill, the son of Joseph Morrill and 
Parmelia Martin, was born in Salisbury, Mass., May 13, 
1815. In 1818, he came to Hopkinton, where he has lived 
since, excepting fifteen years in Methuen, Mass. Mr. 
Morrill's home has been many years in Contoocook. He 
has been during manhood a manufacturer of woollens, cot- 
tons, and lumber. He represented Hopkinton in the legis- 
lature in 1872 and 1873. 



438 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In 1840, October 13, Mr. Morrill married Eunice P. 
Scribner, of Wilmot. She died May 26, 1872. They had 
one child, — Mary M. 

Jacob Martin Morrill, the son of Joseph Morrill and 
Parmelia Martin, was born in Hopkinton, July 11, 1819. 
Excepting a few years in Dixon, 111., he has always lived 
in Hopkinton, his home being in Contoocook village. He 
is a carpenter and joiner. In 1862, October 24, he was 
mustered into Company D, 16th Regiment N. H. Vols., 
and served till August 20, 1863. In 1871, Mr. Morrill was 
a selectman of Hopkinton. 

In 1845, April 30, Mr. Morrill married Sarah Call Abbott, 
daughter of Herman Abbott and Sally Currier, of Hopkin- 
ton. They have had children, — Sarah Maria, Mary Abbie, 
Lucia Parmelia, Emma Augusta, Julia Frances. 

George Washington Morrill, the son of Joseph Mor- 
rill and Parmelia Martin, was born in Hopkinton, August 
13, 1£23. With the exception of three years in Dixon, 111., 
he has spent his life in Hopkinton, his home being in Con- 
toocook village. He is a woollen-manufacturer, having 
been thirty years in business. During the late war, he man- 
ufactured woollens at Contoocook in company with Will- 
iam E. Livingston, of Lowell, Mass. He was subsequently 
engaged in the manufacture of mackerel kits at Contoocook, 
and is now employed in the manufacture of lumber. 

In 1846, June 13, Mr. Morrill married Laura Ann Bacon, 
daughter of John Bacon and Sylvia Patterson, of Hopkin- 
ton. They have had children, — Frank Isaac, Harriet 
Maria. 

Frank Isaac Morrill, the son of George Washington 
Morrill and Laura Ann Bacon, was born in Hopkinton, 
November 30, 1848. He was educated at the New Hamp- 
ton Institute and at Boston (Mass.) University. He re- 
sided in Contoocook till 1871, then three years in Dixon, 
111., afterwards at Newton, Mass., doing business in Boston. 
He was made Bachellor of Laws by Boston University in 

1873, and admitted to the Suffolk County (Mass.) bar in 

1874. He has been a member of the Ancient and Honora- 
ble Artillery, of Boston, and of the Claflin Guards of 
Newton. In 1880, he was chairman of the ward and city 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 439 

committees of Newton. He is a Royal Arch Mason. Resid- 
ing in Contoocook of late, he has been engaged in the man- 
ufacture 6£ mackerel kits and also of lumber. He has been 
a supervisor of Hopkinton six years, being chosen in 1882, 
1884 and 1886. 

In 1874, August 1, Mr. Morrill married Hattie Farnum 
Stevens, daughter of Grove S. Stevens and Lydia Johnson 
Wilson, of Haverhill. They have one child, — Laura Sylvia. 

Joshua Morse, a native of Rowley, Mass., came to Hop- 
kinton very early and settled on Dimond's hill. The old 
Morse homestead is now owned by Walter F. Hoyt. 
Joshua Morse was with General Wolfe at Quebec ; at Ticon- 
deroga with Ethan Allen ; and three years in all in the 
Revolutionary army, being at Yorktown and White Plains. 
At the latter place, he received from General Washington a 
walnut stick, which he brought home and made into a cane, 
which is in the possession of his descendants to this day. 
In 1788, Joshua Morse was chosen a delegate from Hopkin- 
ton to the state convention to consider the proposed United 
States Constitution. He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 
1778, 1786, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1800, and 1801. He was mod- 
erator of town-meeting from 1786 to 1794, in 1796, from 
1798 to 1800, in 1803, and 1804. 

Joshua Morse married Rebecca Patten. 

Mr. Morse died June 4, 1823, aged 81 ; his wife, Febru- 
ary 21, 1812, aged 71. 

• 

Joshua Morse, the son of Joshua Morse and Rebecca 
Patten, lived nearly all his life in Hopkinton, being a car- 
penter, and was prominent in militia circles. 

In 1798, he married Phoebe Farnum, daughter of Stephen 
Farnum and Martha Hall, of Concord. They had children, — 
Joshua, born July 5, 1804; Aaron, born, January 1, 1806 ; 
Judith, born May, 1812 ; Stephen Farnum, born July, 
1814. 

Mr. Morse died March 14, 1826, aged 52; his wife died 
at the age of 70 years. 

Joshua Morse, the son of Joshua Morse and Phoebe 
Farnum, was born in Boscawen, July 5, 1804. Excepting 
ten years in Boston, Mass., he lived in Hopkinton, after 
eight years of age. In early life he learned the trade of a 



440 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

carpenter, and was afterwards a farmer. He lived many- 
years in the house now occupied by Joseph L. Hagar. He 
was four years orderly sergeant of the Hopkinton Light 
Infantry. 

Joshua Morse married Laura Smith Long, daughter of 
Isaac Long and Susanna Kimball, of Hopkinton. They 
had one daughter, — Helen Bruce. 

Joshua Morse died December 26, 1883 ; his wife, April 7, 
1885. 



SECTION XX. 

NICHOLS — PATTEKSON. 

George W. Nichols, the son of Moses Nichols and 
Sally Gale, was born in Newton, April 27, 1831. He came 
to Hopkinton in 1848. He is a shoemaker. During the 
late war he served in the 13th Regiment N. H. Vols., being 
mustered into Company C September 19, 1862, and dis- 
charged October 18, 1863, near Portsmouth, Va. In 1863, 
he married Sarah Chase Palmer, daughter of William 
Palmer and Ann Eliza Chase, of Hopkinton. 

Charles H. Norton, whose home was at Farrington's 
Corner for some time, died there on the 22d of February, 
1885. The following personal notice is selected from a 
longer obituary published in the Concord Monitor: 

" Charles H. Norton was born in Northwood, December 
23, 1812, and was the fourth of a family of seven children 
of Mason and Lydia Norton. In early boyhood he went to 
live with Judge John Harvey, an extensive farmer and 
trader, in whose family he continued until about eighteen 
years old, working on the farm, and occasionally driving 
stages owned by Judge Harvey. Before he attained his 
majority, he came to Concord, and was first employed by 
the late Paul R. George, who then kept the Columbian 
hotel, as a hostler. Subsequently, he became the proprie- 
tor of job teams, and did trucking here, and drove stage for 
some time on several routes leading out of Concord. He 
also .engaged in the livery stable business, with which he 
was connected most of the time until he was compelled to 



PEESONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 441 

give up business by reason of failing health. He was land- 
lord of the Columbian and Eagle hotels, and widely known 
to the travelling public. His business career in this city 
covers a period of more than half a century, and no man 
has a more enviable record for square dealing with his 
fellow-men and for sterling integrity of character. In the 
early part of the Rebellion, he was employed by the state to 
purchase horses for the cavalry, a work for which he was 
eminently fitted by his knowledge of horses. Mr. Norton 
was a simple and unpretending man in his habits and 
tastes, and possessed great good sense and kindliness of 
heart. His advice was sought by many in trouble, and 
was freely given. He attached friends to him by his sin- 
cerity and kindliness of manner, and he will be sincerely 
mourned by a wide circle of acquaintances. He never 
sought political honors, but was chosen one of the repre- 
sentatives from Concord in the legislature of 1849 and 
1850, being the last survivor of the five men who repre- 
sented the town in 1849, viz., Luther Roby, Perley Cleaves, 
Cyrus Hill, Charles H. Norton, and William Page. 

"Mr. Norton married Hannah B. Barton, of Pittsfield, 
in 1836, who survives him, as also do two sons, Charles 
H. and William K., the latter being the present sheriff of 
Merrimack county. A sister, Mrs. Amos B. Sargent, also 
lives in this city." 

Ariel P. Ober, the son of Benjamin Ober and Eliza- 
beth Woodbmy, was born in Hopkinton, December 4, 
1800, and has always lived in this town. He is the only 
survivor of a family of eleven children. He is a farmer. 

In January, 1822, he married Susan Colby, daughter of 
James Bryant Colby and Susanna Story, of Hopkinton. 
They had children, — Frederick Henry, born September 2, 
1823, and William Augustus, born April 7, 1829. In 
December, 1842, Mrs. Ober died, and Mr. Ober, in April, 
1844, married Caroline Emerson, daughter of Samuel 
Emerson and Matilda Gould, of Hopkinton. She died 
May 3, 1889. 

Samuel Smith Page, the son of Peter Carlton Page 
and Lucy Smith, was born in Dunbarton, September 30, 
1822. In early life he attended Pembroke and Hopkinton 
academies. He is a farmer. He resided in Dunbarton till 



442 LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKINTON. 

1852, then two years in Weston, Mass., afterwards two 
years in Dunbarton, and since then in Hopkinton. In 
Dunbarton, he served as moderator of town-meeting and 
also as a member of the superintending school-committee. 
In 1864 and 1865, he was a selectman of Hopkinton. 

In 1852, June 10, Mr. Page married Ellen Maria Cutter, 
daughter of Jonas Cutter and Elizabeth Smith, of Weston, 
Mass. They have one child, — Lucie Elizabeth. 

John Paige, the son of Caleb Paige, was born in Dun- 
barton, February 28, 1793. His mother's maiden name 
was Carlton. He moved to Hopkinton in 1826, residing 
here till his death, November 11, 1874. He was a farmer, 
who represented the town at the General Court in 1845 
and 1847. He was generally prominent in the councils of 
the town. 

In 1821, March 28, John Paige married Rachel Drake, 
daughter of Maj. James Drake and Hannah Ward, of Pitts- 
field. They had children, — John W., born January 10, 
1822 ; Mary B., born July 25, 1823. 

Mrs. Paige died October 15, 1877, aged 84. 

John W. Paige, the son of John Paige and Rachel 
Drake, was born in Dunbarton, January 10, 1822. Since 
1826, he has resided in Hopkinton, being one of the most 
prosperous farmers of the town. In 1844, April 16, he 
married Elizabeth J. Berry, daughter of Joshua Berry and 
Abigail Drake, of Concord. They had children, — Mary 
Abbie, Georgia D., Frank W. 

Frank W. Paige, the son of John W. Paige and Eliz- 
abeth J. Berry, was born in Hopkinton, December 29, 1852. 
He is a farmer. In 1880, he was a selectman. In 1875, 
October 6, he married Katie E. Currier, daughter of George 
W. Currier and Hannah Flanders, of Hopkinton. They 
have children, — Maud Emma, Ethel May. 

Thomas W. Paige, the son of Thomas E. Paige and 
Sally F. Clarke, was born in Lowell, Mass., December 13, 

1853. In 1858, he went to Stoneham, Mass., and since 
then has resided in Hopkinton. He is a prominent local 
politician, who has often been selected to represent the 
Democratic party in organized work. 

In 1885, November 1, Mr. Paige married Minnie B. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 443 

Straw, daughter of Gilman J. Straw and Wealtha A. 
Hoyt, of Hopkinton. 

William Palmer, the son of William Palmer and 
Mehitable Balch, was born in Bradford, Mass., September 
17, 1807. He lived many years in Hopkinton, being a 
farmer by occupation. He was prominent in the former 
militia circles, being captain of the Hopkinton Light In- 
fantry five or six } r ears. 

In 1831, December 22, William Palmer married Ann 
Eliza Chase, daughter of Jacob Chase and Hannah Barker, 
of Hopkinton. They had children, — Sarah E., Mary F., 
M. Ann, Maria A., Laura J., Willie O. 

Captain Palmer died January 30, 1889 ; his wife, March 
6, 1866. 

Joab Patterson, the son of Alexander Patterson and 
Polly Nelson, was born in Henniker, 1796. In early 
life, he learned the trade of a clothier with Emri Woods, 
of Deering, and, after living for a time in Hillsborough, 
he came to Contoocook about the year 1826, remaining till 
his death. In Contoocook, he established the manufacture 
of woollen cloth, taking into partnership his brother David 
N. Patterson, and together they continued until about the 
year 1860. 

The Patterson woollen factory stood at the east end of 
the dam across the Contoocook river, at the old mill- 
yard, near the present tenement-house of W. S. Davis. 

Joab Patterson was frequently in civil office. In 1833 
and 1834, he was a selectman; in 1839 and 1840, a repre- 
sentative to the General Court; from 1841 to 1846, from 
1851 to 1853, and again in 1855, the town-clerk; from 1841 
to 1846, and again in 1855, the town treasurer. In 1870, 
he enumerated the people and property of Hopkinton for 
the census of the United States. From 1872 to 1877, he 
was post-master of Contoocook. 

Joab Patterson married Mary Lovering, of Deering. 
She was a daughter of Captain Lovering and Sarah Hill- 
iard. They had five children, — Mary Jane, Sarah, Joab N., 
George H., Samuel F. 

Mrs. Patterson died May 7, 1844, and Mr. Patterson 
married Susan Herbert, of Contoocook, in December, 1844, 
by whom he had one son, — Harvey F. 

Joab Patterson died March 28, 1879. 



444 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Joab Nelson Patterson, the son of Joab Patterson and 
Mary Lovering, was born in Hopkinton, January 2, 1835. 
In early life he gave considerable attention to teaching. 
He taught successively one or more terms each in Salis- 
bury, Falmouth, Mass., Berkley, Mass., Sherburne, Mass., 
and South Weare. In 1860, he graduated from Dartmouth 
college. At the outbreak of the Rebellion, the subject of 
this sketch enlisted, opened a recruiting office at Contoo- 
cook, and raised a company of men. On the 4th of June, 
1861, he was commissioned first lieutenant of Company H, 
2d Regiment N. H. Vols., and was promoted to captain, 
May 23, 1862. He was wounded at Gettysburg, July 3, 
1863, and promoted to lieutenant-colonel, June 21, 1864. 
On the 10th of January, 1865, he was promoted to colonel, 
and was appointed brevet brigadier-general of U. S. Vol- 
unteers, March 13, 1865. He was mustered out as colonel, 
December 19, 1865. Returning to New Hampshire, 
Colonel Patterson was given the command of the 1st Regi- 
ment of N. H. Militia in 1866 and 1867. He was brigadier 
general of the 1st Brigade of New Hampshire Militia from 
1868 to 1870. He was colonel of the 3d Regiment of the 
New Hampshire National Guard from 1878 to his appoint- 
ment as brigadier-general in 1889. General Patterson has 
held important civil offices. In 1866, he represented the 
town of Hopkinton at the General Court. In 1867, he 
became U. S. marshal for New Hampshire, resigning his 
office in 1886. He is now second auditor of the United 
States treasury at Washington, having been appointed in 
1889. 

In 1867, November 12, Joab N. Patterson married Sarah 
Cilley Bouton, daughter of Rev. Nathaniel Bouton, D. D., 
and Elizabeth A. Cilley, of Concord. They have had chil- 
dren, — Louis Marston, Julia Nelson, Allan Bouton. 

Till 1868, the subject of this sketch resided in Hopkin- 
ton ; since 1868, he has resided in Concord. 

David N. Patterson, the son of Alexander Patterson 
and Polly Nelson, was born in Henniker, June 1, 1800. 
The subject of this sketch lived at home till sixteen years 
of age, and then went to Weare, where he lived four years 
with John Chase, a brother-in-law. He afterwards went to 
Deering, and learned the trade of a clothier with his brother, 
Joab, and later worked as a journeyman with Squire Gove 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 445 

at South Weare. In 1829, he came to Contoocook, where 
he was about thirty years associated in woollen manufactur- 
ing with his brother, Joab, and where he now resides. 
David N. Patterson has frequently been entrusted with 
official position. In 1842 and 1843, he was a selectman of 
Hopkinton ; in 1845 and 1846, a representative to the Gen- 
eral Court ; four years a lieutenant of militia ; twenty -four 
years a deacon of the Freewill Baptist church ; sixteen 
years a superintendent of the Freewill Baptist Sunday- 
school. 

In 1830, March 17, David N. Patterson married Maria 
Woods, the daughter of William L. Woods and Betsey 
Dutton, of Henniker. They had four children. — Susan M., 
William A., Jeanette W., and Annette N. The two last 
were twins. Mrs. Patterson died in 1873, May 19, and 
Deacon Patterson married a second wife, Mrs. Sarah W. 
Bachelder, of Hopkinton, June 15, 1875. She was a daugh- 
ter of Samuel Philbrick and Mary Gove, of Andover, and 
the widow of Moses Bachelder. 



SECTION XXI. 

PERKINS — PUTNEY. 

Bimsley Perkins, the most noted tavern-keeper of 
Hopkinton, was born in Micldleton, Mass., Februar}' - 16, 
1789, being a son of Timothy Perkins and Hannah Trow- 
bridge. When about twenty years of age, he came to Con- 
toocook and conducted the lumber-mill and other works on 
the south side of the river, living in a house near the present 
old mill-yard. About 1813 or 1814, he moved to Hopkin- 
ton village and occupied the former Babson tavern, owned 
by his brother, Roger E. Perkins. In October, 1816, he 
went to Andover, to conduct a public house, remaining till 
January, 1818, when he returned to Hopkinton and reoc- 
cupied the Babson tavern, which he purchased of his brother 
in 1826. Bimsley Perkins resided in Hopkinton village till 
his death, in the progress of time adding to the lands con- 
nected with the public house of which he was a long time 
landlord. Many facts relating to the Perkins tavern are 



446 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

described in Chapter LX, of Part I, of this work. Bimsley 
Perkins exhibited the traits essential to a successful land- 
lord. In consequence of assuming the command of the 
militia Troop, or cavalry, he became universally known as 
Captain Perkins. 

In 1805, December 6, Bimsley Perkins married Susan 
Ladd, daughter of William Ladd and Hannah Ayer, who 
was the daughter of the celebrated Dr. Ayer. One daugh- 
ter, Louisa Ayer, was the offspring of this marriage. Mrs. 
Perkins, who was in eminent repute as a landlady, died 
March 18, 1847. Captain Perkins survived her till Febru- 
ary 26, 1856. A granite monument, the first erected in 
town, in the old village cemetery, marks the resting-place 
of Capt. Bimsley Perkins and family. 

Hamilton Eliot Perkins, the son of Roger Eliot Per- 
kins and Esther Blanchard, was born in Hopkinton, 
November 23, 1807. In early life he attended school at 
Exeter, Norwich (Vt.) Military Academy, and Harvard 
Law School, Cambridge, Mass. He resided in Hopkinton 
and Contoocook till 1846 ; in Cambridge and Boston, Mass., 
till 1848 ; in Contoocook till 1856 ; in Concord till his death 
January 6, 1886. While in Contoocook he at one time 
gave considerable attention to lumbering, building one or 
more mills on the water-power there. He was post-master 
of Contoocook from 1849 to 1853. He was judge of pro- 
bate of Merrimack county from 1855 to 1871. 

In 1832, May 14, Mr. Perkins married Clara Bartlett 
George, daughter of John George and Ruth Bradley, of 
Concord. They had children, — Harriet Morton, George 
Hamilton, Susan George, Roger Eliot, Hamilton, Frank, 
and two sons that died in infancy. 

George H. Perkins, an eminent naval soldier, was 
born in Hopkinton, October 20, 1836, being a son of Ham- 
ilton E. Perkins and Clara B. George. The birth-place of 
the subject of this sketch was in Contoocook, where his 
father resided till the son was ten years old, and then 
moved to Boston, Mass., returning in about two years. 
George H. Perkins was educated at Hopkinton and Gilinan- 
ton academies, till at length Gen. Charles H. Peaslee, then 
a member of congress, secured him the place of an acting 
midshipman in the naval academy, Annapolis, Md., after 




Hon. Hamilton E. Perkins. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 447 

his preparatory studies under a private tutor at Concord. 
At the beginning of the naval academic year, October, 1851, 
young Perkins was installed in his new position at Annapo- 
lis, where he soon became a favorite. During his academic 
course, young Perkins showed remarkable adaptation for 
the calling of a naval soldier, and soon after graduating, in 
1856, he was ordered to join the sloop-of-war Cyane, Cap- 
tain Robb, to sail in November for Aspinwall, to protect 
American citizens, mails, and freights on their way to Cali- 
fornia by the Isthmus of Panama. Subsequently, the Cyane 
sailed to Central America, to bring back the deluded fol- 
lowers of the notorious fillibuster, General Walker, for 
passage to New York. 

In July, 1857, a trip was taken to Newfoundland, for the 
protection of the United States fishing interests, and, in the 
fall, one to the West Indies, calling at Cape Haytien, the old 
capital of Hayti, to inquire into the imprisonment of an 
American merchant-captain. In January, 1858, Midship- 
man Perkins was detached from the Cyane, and in a short 
time joined the store-ship Release, which, after a three 
months cruise in the Mediterranean, returned to New York 
to receive provisions for the Paraguay expedition, having 
for its object the chastisement of Dictator Lopez, for cer- 
tain dastardly acts against our flag on the river Parana. 
In August, 1858, Midshipman Perkins was transferred to 
the frigate Sabine, for passage home to his examination for 
the grade of passed midshipman. His successful examina- 
tion having occurred, in a few months he was ordered to 
the steamer Sumter, as acting master, the destination of the 
vessel being the west coast of Africa, in the interest of the 
suppression of the slave-trade. While cruising along the 
coast, Master Perkins improved frequent opportunities to 
visit the land and indulge in various experiences in the native 
wilds. On one of these exploits, seeking to find the mouth 
of the Settee river, his boat was capsized in the surf, and 
he had a narrow escape from drowning. He also suffered 
severely from the African climate. In July, 1861, the Sum- 
ter received orders to return to New York, Master Perkins 
thus securing an opportunity to return home and recruit 
his health. He was soon ordered to the gunboat Cayuga, 
as executive officer, under Lieutenant Commanding N. B. 
Harrison. The vessel was ordered to join Farragut's fleet 
in the gulf, but did not leave New York till March, Officer 



448 ' LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Perkins having in the meantime been promoted to a lieu- 
tenancy. In the following April, the Cayuga, with the 
divisional flag of Captain Bailey on board, led the advance 
in the attack on New Orleans, and when Captain Bailey 
was ordered on shore to demand the unconditional surren- 
der of the city, he asked Lieutenant Perkins to accompany 
him upon the dangerous mission. After other fiery service 
on the Cayuga, Lieutenant Perkins was transferred to the 
Pensacola. This was in November, 1862, and in June, 1863, 
he was ordered, in command of the Neiv London, to the aid 
of General Banks, the service being powder transportation 
and convoy, occasioning the run of the batteries and sharp- 
shooters along the river below Port Hudson. Running this 
gauntlet the sixth time, the Neiv London was disabled, but 
the fertile expedients of Lieutenant Perkins secured com- 
munication with Farragut's fleet, and his vessel was saved. 
Lieutenant Perkins was subsequently transferred to the 
command of the gunboat Sciota, assigned to the duty of 
blockading the coast of Texas. In May, 1864, he was re- 
lieved from command, with leave to go home, but, arriving 
at New Orleans, he found preparations for a contest at 
Mobile, and could not resist the temptation to engage in it, 
volunteering his services to Farragut and being assigned to 
the monitor Chickasaw, a command above his rank. The 
Chickasaw was not yet completed, but Lieutenant Perkins 
promptly fitted her, and on the 28th of July sailed to join 
the fleet off Mobile, where he arrived on the 1st of August. 
On the following 5th of the month, the Chickasaw earned 
the memorable fame of disabling the steering apparatus of 
the rebel ram Tennessee, inducing the Confederate Captain 
Johnson to say, — " She did us more damage than all the 
rest of the Federal fleet." The Chickasaw continued to 
operate with the fleet till the surrender of Mobile, on the 
2od of August, and until the 12th of the next April, when 
the Union forces were in full possession of the city and sur- 
roundings. In July, Lieutenant Perkins was relieved from 
command, and returned home. The following winter, he was 
stationed at New Orleans, in charge of iron-clads, and in May, 
1866, was ordered, as executive officer of the Lackawanna, 
for a cruise of three years in the North Pacific. Returning 
from the Pacific in the spring of 1869, he was ordered 
to the Boston navy-yard, on ordnance duty, and in March, 
1871, received his commission as commander. Two months 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 449 

later, he was selected to command the store-ship Relief, to 
carry provisions to the suffering French of the Franco- 
Prussian War. On his return, he soon resumed his duties 
at the Boston yard until appointed light-house inspector of 
the Boston district, which position he held till January, 
1876. From March, 1877, until May, 1889, he was in com- 
mand of the U. S. steamer Ashuelot, on the Asiatic station, 
having for a time the pleasure of General Grant's company 
on board. In March, 1882, Lieutenant Perkins was pro- 
moted to a post captaincy, as the grade of captain in the 
navy was styled in the olden time, which grade corresponds 
with that of colonel in the army. 

In 1870, September 12, the subject of this sketch married 
Anna Minot Weld, daughter of William F. Weld and Mary 
Bryant, of Boston, Mass. They have one daughter, — Isabel 
Weld. 

Captain Perkins resides in Boston, but conducts a farm 
in Webster, where he gives special attention to the cultiva- 
tion of an improved breed of horses. 

(The foregoing is mainly condensed from a sketch by 
Capt. George E. Belknap, U. S. N., published in the Gran- 
ite Monthly.*) 

T. Augustus Perkins, the son of Roger E. Perkins and 
Esther Blanchard, was born in Hopkinton in 1809. He 
was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy and Pittsfield 
(Mass.) Medical College, in the meantime reading medicine 
with Dr. Chadbourne, of Concord. He practised in Rich- 
mond, Province of Quebec, Tremont and Chicago, 111. 
During the late war, he was brigade-surgeon six months on 
Gen. J. L. Coxe's staff. He was six months post-surgeon 
at Cape Giradeau. 

In 1832, Dr. Perkins married Mary Lovejoy, daughter of 
Andrew Lovejoy and Mary Taylor. She was a native of 
Sanbornton. They had children, — M. Lottie, Myra, James 
T., Clara H. 

Dr. Perkins died September 27, 1881. 

William Peters, the first deacon of the Congregational 
church in Hopkinton, is said to have been the first settler 
on that part of Dimond's hill which is in this town. William 
Peters's eventual log cabin was on the lot opposite the 
present residence of Walter F. Hoyt. The name of William 
28 



450 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Peters appears in the colonial military records of New 
Hampshire during the French War. William Peters was 
one of the Masonian grantees of Hopkinton, and a resident 
upon disputed territory during the Bow controversy. He 
was made deacon of the Congregational church in Hopkin- 
ton in 1759. In personal bearing he is said to have been 
tall and brawny, a perfect type of the early New England 
pioneer. 

There were children of William and Hannah Peters as 
follows: Ruth, born July 9, 1758; Sarah, born July 30, 
1760 ; Abigail, born January 1, 1763 ; William, born August 
27, 1765. 

Martin Putnam, the son of Rufus Putnam and Polly 
Felton, was born in Hopkinton, December 5, 1801. He 
was a farmer and blacksmith, and always resided in Hop- 
kinton. He was a captain of militia, and, in 1840, a select- 
man. 

In 1831, November 24, Martin Putnam married Margaret 
Butler, daughter of Bela L. Butler and Sarah Colby, of 
Hopkinton. They had children, — Margaret E., born Jan- 
uary 23, 1834 ; James M., born February 9, 1836 ; Amos, 
born January 19, 1838 ; Charles, born March 8, 1840 ; Eliza 
J., born July 20, 1842. 

Captain Putnam died May 6, 1845; his wife, June, 1851. 

Rufus Putnam, father of Martin, came to this town from 
Danvers, Mass., and settled where his son, Rufus Putnam, 
now lives, on the road leading from Contoocook to Warner. 
Rufus Putnam, the elder, was the son of a cousin of Gen. 
Israel Putnam, of Revolutionary fame. 

Charles Putnam, the son of Martin Putnam and Mar- 
garet Butler, was born in Hopkinton, March 8, 1840. In 
early life, he attended Contoocook academy. He is a farmer 
and teacher, and has always lived in Hopkinton, excepting 
one year in Webster. With his son, he has done much in 
cultivating a strain of pure Devon cattle. 

In 1862, March 19, he married Almira Eastman, daughter 
of Jonathan G. Eastman and Charlotte (Kimball) Jackman, 
of Hopkinton. They have children, — George M., Grace E. 

Herrick Putnam, the son of Rufus Putnam and Polly 
Felton, was born in Hopkinton, September 11, 1803. Ex- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 451 

cepting three years in Hillsborough, he always resided in 
Hopkinton, being a merchant and tavern-keeper in Contoo- 
cook many years. He was selectman of Hopkinton from 
1850 to 1852. 

In 1827, September 27, Mr. Putnam married Rachel Ke- 
zar, daughter of Jonathan Kezar and Mehitable Clough of 
Sutton. They had children, — George G., born October 20, 
1828 ; Amanda M., born July 8, 1831 ; Augustus, born 
July 28, 1835. 

Mr. Putnam died July 14, 1861. 

Rufus Putnam, the son of Rufus Putnam and Polly 
Felton, was born in Hopkinton, September 27, 1813, and 
has always resided in this town, being a farmer. 

In 1835, November 17, he married Apphia Clarke, daugh- 
ter of Stephen B. Clarke and Susan Gould, of Warner, by 
whom he had one child, Proctor P., born October 16, 1836. 
Mrs. Putnam died January 12, 1837, and, in 1840, June 3, 
Mr. Putnam married Harriet Bailey, daughter of Webster 
Bailey and Hannah Ring, of Warner, by whom he had three 
children, — Helen M., born July 21, 1842; Joseph E., born 
October 2, 1843; William F., born May 11, 1845. His 
second wife dying October 11, 1848, Mr. Putnam married 
Lydia C. Goss, daughter of Luther Goss and Sally Colby, 
of Henniker, by whom he had one son, — Charles R. 

Joseph Putney, the son of Joseph Putney, the noted 
tavern-keeper, was born in Hopkinton, September 27, 1785. 
When thirteen years old, he went to Sutton, to learn the 
trade of a clothier with Jonathan Nelson. He subsequently 
worked as a dresser and fuller of cloth, with Dea. Eldad 
Tenney, of Hopkinton. In 1814, he entered the United 
States service as a substitute for a Sutton man, and was 
stationed at Portsmouth, in Capt. Silas Call's company, in 
Lieut. Col. Jonathan Steel's regiment. In after years, Mr. 
Putney said of the troops at Portsmouth, "We used to 
watch the British vessels from the highlands near the toWn, 
and their sails looked like clouds against the sky. They 
did n't come in to attack us, but we used to wish they 
would." In the year 1816, being in poor health, Mr. Put- 
ney took a contract to carry the United States mail between 
Concord, N. H., and Windsor, Vt., also carrying passengers 
along the route. His experience as mail-carrier was a brief 



452 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

one, and the same autumn he was at work at his trade in 
Shrewsbury, Vt. Most of Mr. Putney's life was spent in 
Hopkinton, his home for many years being on Putney's 
hill, on the farm now owned by Reuben E. Gerry. His 
uniform genial good-nature made him " Uncle Joe" to all 
his neighbors. He was one of the earliest anti-slavery and 
temperance reformers in Hopkinton. 

Joseph Putney was twice married. His first wife was 
Eunice Chellis, of Sutton ; his second, Sarah D., daughter 
of Samuel Simpson, of Hopkinton. Mr. Putney died Octo- 
ber 11, 1880 ; his second wife, September 14, 1887. 

Joseph Putney was a descendant of Samuel Putney, who 
is said to have come to this country from England and who 
eventually became an early resident of Hopkinton, having 
previously resided in the vicinity of Amesbury, Mass. 
Putney's hill and Putney's garrison are in close historical 
relation to Samuel Putney and John Putney, the name of 
the latter being repeatedly mentioned in the early chapters 
of this work. John Putney appears to have been the 
father of Samuel, captured by the Indians in 1753. 

Ira Allen Putney, the son of Enoch Putney and 
Martha Rowell, was born August 11, 1804, in Hopkinton, 
where he always resided, being of the original Putney stock 
that gave the name to Putney's hill. Enoch Putney was a 
farmer. When the son, Ira Allen, began to do business 
for himself, he for six years followed the vocation of a 
teamster, conveying goods for merchants, between Hopkin- 
ton and the lower country, and between Vermont and Bos- 
ton. This occupation was laborious and exciting, since 
travel was incurred both by night and by day, and the inci- 
dents and accidents of the experience would make an inter- 
esting story. During the earlier years of his manhood, Ira 
A. Putney had more or less of the care of the farm where 
he was born. In 1834, he settled upon it permanently and 
became one of the best known and most prosperous farmers 
of the town. Mr. Putney's home was upon the farm now 
owned by his son, True J. Putney, on Putney's hill. In 
addition to his career as a farmer, Ira A. Putney was many 
years a popular auctioneer. Ira A. Putney was frequently 
in civil office. In 1841, he was a selectman of Hopkinton. 
From 1851 to 1855, and from 1857 to 1861, he was moder- 
ator of town-meeting. From 1850 to 1852, in 1854, and 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 453 

from 1856 to 1860, he was a collector of taxes. In 1860 
and 1864, he was a representative to the General Court. 

In 1834, April 17, Ira A. Putney married Hannah Muz- 
zey, daughter of Joseph Muzzey and Jane Bartlett, of Can- 
terbury. They had four children, — Martha Jane, Judith 
Morse, Ellen Hannah, True Josiah. 

Ira A. Putney died February 17, 1887; Mrs. Putney, 
September 20, 1882. They were buried in the old ceme- 
tery on Putney's hill. Mr. Putney appears to have been a 
descendant of Samuel Putney, previously mentioned as 
having come to Hopkinton from the vicinity of Amesbury, 
Mass. 



SECTION XXII. 

QUIMBY — RUNNELS. 

Nicholas Quimby, the son of Elisha Quimby and Han- 
nah Badger, was born in Hawke (now Danbury), May, 
1796. He was a mechanic, farmer, and teacher. He re- 
sided in Hawke till 1837 ; in Hopkinton till 1851 ; in Man- 
chester till 1853; in Concord till 1872; in 1873, August 
11, he died in Hyde Park, Mass. He was a school-teacher 
for twenty-one successive years. He was a captain of 
militia. In 1831 and 1833, he was a representative to the 
General Court. In 1841, 1843, and 1844, he was a select- 
man of Hopkinton. 

In 1817, Nicholas Quimby married Sarah Stevens, daugh- 
ter of Peter Stevens and Hannah Williams, of Hawke. 
They had children, — Joseph B., born 1817 ; George W., 
born 1818; Nelson F., born 1820; Almira P., born 1825; 
Elihu T., born 1826; Elvira S., born 1828; Almena P., 
born 1831 ; Serena C, born 1833. 

Mrs. Quimby died in Concord, August 6, 1872. 

Elihtj T. Quimby, the son of Nicholas Quimby and 
Sarah Stevens, was born in Hawke (now Danbury), July 
17, 1826. He was educated at Hopkinton academy and 
Dartmouth college. Coming to Hopkinton when ten years 
of age, he resided here till 1851 ; then in New Ipswich till 
1864; then in Hanover till the present time. He was 
principal of New Ipswich academy from 1851 to 1864; 



454 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

professor of mathematics and civil engineering from 1864 
to 1876 at Dartmouth; since 1871, acting assistant of the 
United States Geodetic Survey. In 1886 and 1887, he 
made the survey of the boundary line between New Hamp- 
shire and Massachusetts, on the part of New Hampshire. 
He has published a collegiate algebra, and several small 
pamphlets and mathematical formulas. He has been largely 
interested in educational work in New Hampshire, having 
been a frequent instructor since when sixteen years of age. 
The work of Professor Quimby will always be prominently 
identified in the history of the state. 

In 1851, August 16, Elihu T. Quimby married Nancy 
Aldana Cutler, daughter of Perley Cutler and Elizabeth 
Clarke, of Gaysville, Vt. They have children, — Charles 
Elihu, William Perry. 

Daniel I. Quint, the son of Isaac Quint and Elizabeth 
Bickford, was born in Eaton, April 11, 1836. In early life, 
he attended school at New London, and eventually became 
a clergyman. He has filled various pulpits in New Hamp- 
shire. He was pastor of the Freewill Baptist church in 
Contoocook from April, 1883, to April, 1885. He has had 
two years' experience as a town selectman, and more years' 
experience as a town school officer. In 1884, he was a 
member of the superintending school-committee of Hop- 
kinton. 

In 1863, August 11, he married Rosie E. Alford, daugh- 
ter of James Alford and Phoebe Colby, of Madison. They 
have had children, — Isaac, Lizzie P., Nixie I. 

The Rev. Mr. Quint went from Contoocook to Loudon. 

Charles D. Rand, the son of Jonathan Rand and 
Elizabeth Davis, was born in Hopkinton, July 15, 1812, on 
his father's homestead, where he has always resided, being 
a farmer. In 1843, October 15, he married Harriet N. 
Davis, daughter of Paine Davis and Mary Dow, of Warner. 
They have children, — Emma W., Edson L., Warren S., 
Willis C. 

Warren S. Rand, the son of Charles D. Rand and Har- 
riet N. Davis, was born in Hopkinton, September 1, 1849. 
He has for years been engaged in mercantile pursuits in 
Contoocook. In 1873, December 16, he married Helen R. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 455 

Kempton, daughter of Edward B. Kempton and Mary- 
Harris, of Hopkinton. Mr. Rand is now of the firm of 
Curtice, Rand & Co. 

John C. Ray, the son of Aaron Ray and Nancy Chase, 
was born in Hopkinton, January 3, 182(3. In early life, he 
attended the noted select-school of Master John 0. Bal- 
lard, and also received instruction in the schools of Dunbar- 
ton and Manchester. In 1834, his home was changed to 
Dunbarton ; but in 1855 he moved to Chicopee, Mass., 
where he remained three years, and then returned to Dun- 
barton. In 1874, he became a resident of Manchester, 
where he is the superintendent of the State Industrial 
School. From 1845 to 1847, he was a commissioned officer 
of militia. In 1850 and 1851, and again in 1872 and 1873, 
he was a selectman of Dunbarton. In 1852 and 1853, he 
represented Dunbarton in the state legislature. In 1871 
and 1872, he was a school-superintendent of Dunbarton, 
and in 1872 and 1873, a trustee of the State Normal School. 
In 1881, he represented Ward 2, of Manchester, in the 
state legislature. 

In 1857, in December, Mr. Ray married Sarah A. 
Humphreys, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Humphreys, 
of Chicopee. They have children, — Henry P., Mamie E. 

Mr. Ray is a large owner of real estate, being interested 
in such property in Manchester, Goffstown, Bow, Nashua, 
Hooksett, Dunbarton, Weare, Deering, Hillsborough, etc. 

Francis Reed, the son of Samuel Reed and Anna 
Sayles, was born in Grafton, July 21, 1820. He was edu- 
cated at Derwent and Whitestone seminaries and the theo- 
logical seminary of Bates college. He was the pastor of 
the Freewill Baptist church at Contoocook from May 20, 
1851, till March, 1859. He is now residing and preaching 
at South Strafford, Vt. He has filled many pulpits in New 
England and in the West, including those of more noted 
places, like Portsmouth, Bath, Me., Lawrence, Mass., and 
Mendota, 111. During the late war, he was nearly a year 
chaplain of the 12th Regiment N. H. Vols. He has been 
member of the Freewill Baptist Conference of the United 
States three years, trustee of New Hampton Institution 
four years, clerk of quarterly conference ten years, town 
commissioner of common schools many years, etc. While 



456 LIFE AND TIMES JDSt HOPKINTON. 

in Contoocook, he was aggressively active in the anti-slavery 
and temperance causes. He is the grandson of Mr. Reed, 
of Woburn Mass., who is said to have secreted the Harvard 
College library when it was exposed to the ravages of war 
in Revolutionary times. 

In 1849, July 5, the Rev. Mr. Reed married Apphia 
Goodwin, daughter of James Goodwin and Apphia Segar, 
of Lowell, Mass., by whom he had children, — Ellen T., Bur- 
ton J. Mrs. Reed died June 22, 1886, and, in 1887, August 
25, Mr. Reed married her sister, Arvilla C. Goodwin, of 
Lawrence, Mass. 

William Restieatjx, the son of Robert and Catherine 
Restieaux, was born in Boston, Mass., June 10, 1802. He 
became a merchant-tailor. He resided in Boston, Concord, 
Plymouth, and Hopkinton. His place of business at one 
time was in the building where Charles French now trades, 
and upon the second floor. Mr. Restieaux lived many years 
in the house now occupied by George W. Currier. 

In 1826, May 28, William Restieaux married Elizabeth 
Lincoln, daughter of Jedediah Lincoln, of Hingham, Mass. 
She died January 3, 1828. They had one child, — William 
H. His second wife was Betsey F. Chase, daughter of 
Daniel Chase and Sarah F. Ferren, of Hopkinton, whom he 
married September 14, 1830. They had children, — William 
H., Sarah E., Daniel, Robert, Ellen C. 

Mr. Restieaux died at West Concord, January 28, 1886; 
his second wife, at Columbus, O., September 15, 1879. 

James Richardson, the son of Joseph Richardson and 
Joanna Gage, was born in Hopkinton, July 14, 1817. He 
resided in Hopkinton twenty-one years; in Lowell, Mass., 
seven years ; in Pittsburgh, Pa., twelve years ; since leaving 
Pittsburgh, in St. Louis, Mo. He is a wholesale druggist, 
and founder of the firm of Richardson & Co., St. Louis, 
which does the largest business of any drug-house in the 
United States excepting New York. Mr. Richardson has 
been, or is, president of the St. Louis Board of Education, 
same of the Public School Library Association, director of 
the Valley and Commercial banks, senior elder of the Pres- 
byterian church, trustee of Drury and Lindenwood col- 
leges, etc. 

In 1843, in November, Mr. Richardson married Laura 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 457 

Clifford, daughter of Gilman Clifford and Deborah Sanborn, 
of Pelham. They had children, — James H., Mary D., Joseph 
C, Frank A., James, Laura. 

Mrs. Richardson died November 9, 1876, and, in 1879, 
Mr. Richardson married Mary C. Clifford, her sister. 

Alexander Rogers, many years a physician in Hop- 
kinton, was born in Exeter, April, 1815, being the son of 
Robert Rogers and Margery Sullivan. When the subject 
of this sketch was about ten years of age, his father moved 
to Hopkinton, where Alexander obtained the fundamental 
principles of an education at Master John O. Ballard's 
school, and at Hopkinton academy. As he developed toward 
manhood, he determined to become a physician, and at 
length entered the office of Dr. James A. D. W. Gregg. He 
attended the required course of medical lectures at Wood- 
stock, Vt., and began practice without a diploma, neglect- 
ing for years any attempt to procure one, till at length he 
went to Hanover, was examined, and became a doctor of 
medicine in scholastic law as well as in fact. Dr. Rogers 
began practice in Manchester. His practice at first was to 
keep a memorandum of each case, but, like many others, 
he realized how hard it is to keep daily annotations of pro- 
fessional business, and gave up. After about two years at 
Manchester, he came to Hopkinton and assumed the prac- 
tice of his preceptor, Dr. Gregg, remaining in Hopkinton 
till his death, deriving a large degree of patronage from 
this and contiguous towns. 

In 1860, Alexander Rogers married Sophia T. Goodrich, 
daughter of George K. Goodrich, of Hopkinton. They had 
two children, — Margery S. and Georgia A. 

Dr. Rogers died October 4, 1886. 

Benjamin Rollins, the son of David Rollins and Judith 
Leach, was born in Salem, March 26, 1784. When about 
sixteen years of age, he went to Marblehead, Mass., to learn 
the trade of a carpenter. He afterwards worked in a cabi- 
net shop in his native town. In the course of his life, he 
resided at Tyngsborough, Mass., Antrim, Lowell, Mass., and 
Hopkinton. He was concerned in building five bridges 
across the Merrimack river, the first one at Haverhill, Mass., 
and the last between Lowell and Dracut, in the same state. 
At Antrim, he conducted a grist-mill and a lumber manu- 



458 LIFE AND TIMES IN" HOPKINTON. 

factory. In Lowell, Mass., he was a merchant. He also 
engaged in farming in different places. He at one time 
owned considerable farming land in Deering and Benning- 
ton. He was a deacon of the Presbyterian chnrch, and 
prominently engaged in the construction of a house of 
worship at Antrim. Deacon Rollins died in Hopkinton, 
December 2, 1881, aged 97 years, 7 months, and 6 days, 
being at the time of his death the oldest man in town. 

Benjamin Rollins married Martha Nevins, of Salem, a 
successful school-teacher of prolonged experience. She died 
in 1853. They had six children, — Martha M., born De- 
cember 3, 1811 ; Benjamin B., born April 10, 1814 ; Lucia 
A. D., born April 20, 1816 ; Margaret B., born June 8, 1818 ; 
Alfred A., born April 18, 1820 ; Nancy W., born May 6, 
1822. 

Alfred A. Rollins, the son of Benjamin Rollins and 
Martha Nevins, was born in Antrim, April 18, 1820. In 
early life, he attended Pinkerton academy. He resided in 
Antrim till 1832 ; in Lowell, Mass., till 1835 ; in Boston, 
Mass., till 1837 ; in Hopkinton, till 1849 ; in Berlin, Vt., 
till 1854; he then returned to Hopkinton. He is a farmer. 
During the late war, he served in the First Regiment, U. S. 
Sharp-shooters, being mustered in August 30, 1862. In 
1863, May 3, he was severely wounded at Chancellors ville. 
In 1864, October 17, he was transferred to the Veteran Re- 
serve Corps, and was mustered out June 29, 1865. 

In 1849, March 28, Mr. Rollins married Mary E. Colby, 
daughter of Moses Colby and Elsie Abbott, of Hopkinton. 
They have had children, — John, Nanna M., Benjamin, 
Charles A., William H., George T. 

Miss Nanna M. Rollins, now Mrs. Butterfield, was at one 
time the first soprano singer at the New England Conserva- 
tory of Music, and a successful teacher of vocal and instru- 
mental music. 

James C. Rowe, the son of Calvin Rowe and Lucinda 
Phelps, was born in Boscawen, January 12, 1842. In the 
course of his life, he has resided in Andover, Salisbury, 
Danbury, Concord, and Hopkinton. During the late war, 
he served in the 16th Regiment N. H. Vols. He is a farmer. 

In 1869, January 1, Mr. Rowe married Lydia E. Davis, 
daughter of James Davis and Lydia Glines, of Andover. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 459 

They had children, — Cora B., Charles L., Nellie L., Willie 
C, Frank E. 

In 1884, August 9, he married Mary R. (Rand) Weeks, 
daughter of John Rand and Mary Reed, of Hopkinton. 
His second wife died July 18, 1889. 

Moses Rowell, the son of Nathaniel Rowell and Judith 
Morse, was born in South Hampton, Mass., in January, 
1767. He came to Hopkinton in 1780, and eventually 
became the owner of the parsonage built for the Rev. James 
Scales, the first minister of the town, on Putney's hill. The 
parsonage and farm are now owned by the descendants of 
Moses Rowell, who was a farmer and carpenter, who died 
April 11, 1850. 

Moses Rowell married Mary Pettengill, daughter of Ben- 
jamin Pettengill, of Hopkinton. Her mother's maiden 
name was Brown. The children of Moses Rowell were 
Trueworthy, born April 8, 1802 ; John Pettengill, born 
1804 ; Manley Amsden, born May 28, 1807 ; Benjamin 
Franklin, born August, 1808 ; Lydia Gould, born March 3, 
1810 ; Joseph, born March, 1813 ; Enoch Putney, born 
1816. 

The location of the Rowell family on the southern brow 
of Putney's hill has sometimes designated the place as 
Ro well's hill. 

Isaac Rowell, the son of Moses Rowell and Tamison 
Eastman, was born in Hopkinton, April 19, 1813, being 
of the family of Abram Rowell, who gave the name of 
Rowell's Bridge to West Hopkinton, where Isaac Rowell 
resided, being a farmer and carpenter. Isaac Rowell was 
also post-master of West Hopkinton from 1867 to 1874. 

In 1840, February 20, Isaac Rowell married Harriet 
Adams, daughter of James Adams and Lydia Johnson, of 
Henniker. They had children, — James H., born October 
28, 1842 ; Harriet Ella, born June 1, 1844 ; Harriet Ella, 
born' December 16, 1846 ; Mary Etta, born March 21, 
1850 ; Charles Sherman, born June 26, 1857. 

Isaac Rowell died April 15, 1887. 

Charles S. Rowell, the son of Isaac Rowell and Har- 
riet Adams, was born in Hopkinton, June 26, 1857. He 
has alwa} r s resided at West Hopkinton, attending Contoo- 



460 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

cook academy in youth, and being a farmer. Since 1879, 
lie has been the post-master of West Hopkinton. The farm 
he occupies has been in the Rowell name over 100 years. 
His great grandfather, Abram Rowell, came there from 
Weare in the winter of 1786, his son, Moses, ten years of 
age, walking on the snow with bare feet. The present 
house was partly finished at that time. The first Rowell 
is frequently called Abraham in the records of this town. 

In 1882, December 25, Mr. Rowell married Florence S. 
Goodwin, daughter of Benjamin Goodwin and Lucy A. 
Mixer, of Greenville. 

Farnum Runnels, noted for being a nonagenarian resi- 
dent of Hopkinton, was born in Concord, January 25, 1795, 
being a son of Joseph Runnels and Joanna Farnum. In 
early manhood, he spent eight or ten years in rafting lumber 
from Franklin to Lowell and Boston. He lived thirty 
years in Boscawen, and then came to Hopkinton, where he 
has since resided. He has followed the vocation of a 
farmer the main portion of his life. Mr. Runnels is natu- 
rally tall, straight, and robust. Though now ninety-four 
years of age, he can do a very good day's work. He has 
always been a man of great integrity and respectability. 

In 1823, March 27, Mr. Runnels married Jerusha Web- 
ber, daughter of Jeremiah Webber and Lydia Flanders, of 
Boscawen. They had six children, — Jeremiah Farnum, 
Mary Ann, Jerusha Augusta, Osborn Eaton, Helen Carroll, 
and Edward Gilman. Mrs. Runnels died July 4, 1848, and 
on the 11th of June, 1850, Mr. Runnels married Gracia 
Trussel, of Hopkinton, a daughter of John Trussel and 
Jemima Colby. She died March 18, 1881. Mr. Runnels 
now resides with his son, Edward Gilman, on his Hopkin- 
ton homestead, about a mile and a half from Hopkinton 
village on the road to Concord. 

On Monday, the 26th of January, 1885, Farnum Run- 
nels celebrated Ms ninetieth birthday with a large company 
of relatives, neighbors, and friends, receiving many testi- 
monials of affection and esteem. 

Edward G. Runnels, the son of Farnum Runnels and 
Jerusha Webber, was born in Boscawen, December 6, 1843, 
and has lived in Hopkinton since 1850. He is a farmer, 
who has made a specialty of improved poultry. He was 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.. 461 

chosen supervisor of Hopkinton in 1882, 1884, 1886, and 
1888. During the late war he served in Company D, 16th 
Regiment N. H. Vols , being mustered in October 24, 1862, 
and mustered out August 20, 1863. 

In 1868, December 31, Mr. Runnels married M. Jennie 
(Boynton) Mills, daughter of Lyman D. Boynton and Rox- 
anna Webster, and adopted daughter of Charles and Mary 
Mills, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Albert Far- 
num Runnels, and Fannie F. Russell (adopted). 



SECTION XXIII. 

SANBORN — SMITH. 

Dyer Hook Sanborn, a teacher of forty or more years, 
was born in Gilmanton, July 29, 1799, being a son of Daniel 
E. Sanborn and Hannah Hook. He was educated at Guil- 
ford acadenry and Waterville (Me.) college, his studies at 
the latter institution being suspended on account of illness* 
He resided in Gilmanton till 1828 ; in Lynn and Marble- 
head, Mass., till 1833 ; in Sanbornton till 1848 ; in An clover 
till 1849 ; in Washington till 1853 ; in Hopkinton till his 
death, January 14, 1871. Among the most important 
schools taught by Professor Sanborn were the Lodge school 
in Marblehead, Mass.; the Franklin Hall school, Salem, 
Mass. ; New London academy ; Woodman Sanbornton 
academy, Sanbornton Square ; Andover, Washington 
(Tubbs Union), Hopkiuton, and Pittsfield academies. He 
was three years professor of mathematics, natural sciences, 
and English literature at the New Hampshire Conference 
Seminary. In 1834, he received the degree of Master of 
Arts from Waterville college, and the same from Dart- 
mouth college in 1841. In the course of his life, Professor 
Sanborn held various important offices of authority and 
trust. He was commissioned captain of the 7th company 
of the 10th Regiment of N. H. Militia in 1828. He was 
nearly forty years a justice of the peace and quorum. He 
was commissioner of schools for Sullivan county from 1850 
to 1851. He represented the town of Sanbornton in the 
New Hampshire legislature in 1845 and 1846, being chap- 



462 LIFE AM) TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

lain of the house the latter year. In 1850, he represented 
Washington, both in the legislature and in the constitu- 
tional convention of that year. While in Hopkinton, he 
superintended schools in 1854, 1858, and 1859, and from 
1866 to 1870. He was at one time a clerk in the Depart- 
ment of the Interior at Washington, D. C, under the 
administration of President Pierce. He was post-master at 
Hopkinton village from 1858 till his death. During his 
educational career, Professor Sanborn published a number 
of works. In 1836, he published an Analytical Grammar, 
which passed through seven editions in ten years ; in 1846, 
a Normal School Grammar, that passed through eight edi- 
tions in five years. In 1856, he published a Geographical 
Manual ; in 1858, a pamphlet called " School Mottoes." Pro- 
fessor Sanborn was many years a local preacher of the M. E. 
church. He was a Royal Arch Mason, and chaplain of the 
Grand Lodge of New Hampshire from 1849 to 1856. 

In 1826, May 31, Dyer H. Sanborn married Harriet W. 
Tucker, of Deerfield. In 1847, November 28, he married 
Abigail (Newman) Glidden, of Sanbornton Bridge, now 
Tilton. She was a daughter of Benjamin and Sally New- 
man. She died July 12, 1882. By his first wife, Professor 
Sanborn had one child, — Frank Dyer. 

Frederick Glidden Sanborn, the son of Eliphalet 
Glidden and Abigail Newman, was born at Sanbornton 
Bridge, now Tilton, January 22, 1836. He was educated 
at the Northfield Conference Seminary, at Tubbs Union 
Academy at Washington, and at Hopkinton academy. In 
1853, he came to Hopkinton with his step-father, Prof . Dyer 
H. Sanborn. He became a commercial clerk and agent. 
He was one year clerk in the store where Kimball & Co. 
now trade ; one year book-keeper and agent of a real estate 
office in Chicago, 111. ; nearly four years clerk in a store at 
Sherbrook, P. Q.; for a time agent for a commission house in 
Portland, Me. ; also the incumbent of other business situa- 
tions. Upon the outbreak of the Rebellion, the subject of 
this sketch entered the United States army. In April, 1861, 
he enlisted into the 5th Maine Volunteer Regiment and in 
course of the war was promoted through all the grades of 
non-commissioned and commissioned offices to captain. 
During the last year of the war, he was detailed and served 
as brigadier-inspector and adjutant-general of the 2d Brig- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 463 

ade, 1st Division of the 6th Corps. In the fall of 1864, 
Captain Sanborn had charge of eighty men in Tennessee, 
getting timber on the Cumberland river for Sherman's 
bridges. In the latter part of 1864 and early part of 1865, 
he was in the 1st Battalion of Massachusetts Frontier Cav- 
alry, and until transferred, by order of the secretary of war, 
to the U. S. Regular Army and detailed as clerk in the 
surgeon-general's office at Washington, D. C. Captain San- 
born was with the 5th Maine Regiment in all the principal 
battles of the Army of the Potomac, and was wounded at 
Gaines Hill and Cold Harbor. After the war, he lived 
many years in Hopkinton till his death July 29, 1888. 

In 1880, November 21, Captain Sanborn married Sophia 
W. (Goodrich) Rogers, daughter of George K. Goodrich 
and Frances A. Whitman, of Hopkinton. 

Stephen Bradbury Sargent, the son of Stephen Sar- 
gent and Sarah Allen, was born in Hopkinton in 1806. 
In early life, he attended Master John O. Ballard's school. 
In earlier manhood, he was a farmer ; in later, a merchant. 
He kept a store many years in the part of his residence 
where now lives E. Eugene Dunbar. A short time before 
his death he resided at Concord. 

Mr. Sargent married Betsey Page Eaton, daughter of 
Benjamin Eaton and Phoebe Chandler, of Hopkinton. 

Mr. Sargent died July 14, 1864 ; his wife, who married 
John Brockway, for a second husband, died September 27, 
1883. 

Abner C. Sargent, the son of Thomas Sargent and 
Betsey Ray, was born in Henniker, January 13, 1815. 
Since 1838, he has lived in Hopkinton. He is a farmer 
and cooper. He was five years the agent of the Hopkinton 
pauper farm, and a short time the same of the Pembroke 
farm. 

In 1842, April 28, Mr. Sargent married Emeline A. Rog- 
ers, daughter of John Rogers and Hannah C. Farnum, of 
Salisbury. They have children, — Ellen A., John H. 

John H. Sargent, the son of Abner C. Sargent and 
Emeline A. Rogers, was born in Hopkinton, February 13, 
1855, and has always lived in this town. In early life, he 
attended Hopkinton and Contoocook academies. His pres- 



464 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ent home is in Contoocook. He is a carpenter and miller. 
He has for a number of years conducted the grist-mill in 
Contoocook. He is a selectman of Hopkinton the present 
year of 1889. 

In 1881, December 20, he married Carrie J. Dow, daugh- 
ter of Daniel L. Dow and Betsey Blackstone, of Hopkin- 
ton. They have children, — Lena May, Daniel Dow. 

John B. Sargent, the son of John Sargent and Betsey 
Ring, was born in Loudon, February 4, 1827. In the 
course of his life, he has resided in Pittsfield and Concord. 
In 1865, he came to Hopkinton. He is a farmer and 
painter. He has been a deacon of the Congregational 
church and a superintendent of its Sunday-school. 

In 1858, Mr. Sargent married Harriet M. Nutter, daugh- 
ter of William Nutter and Eliza Dame. They had one 
child, — Cora Frances. 

Charles A. Savory, a former physician of Contoo- 
cook, was born in Beverly, Mass., December 25, 1813, 
being a son of Charles Savory and Nancy Vickey. The 
subject of this sketch, when about a year old, was taken to 
Boston, Mass., where he resided till 1826, when he came to 
Hopkinton, residing till 1844, and then moving to Warner, 
where he resided four years, being since a resident of 
Lowell, Mass. 

Dr. Savory graduated from Dartmouth Medical College 
in 1835 ; became a member of the N. H. Medical Society 
in 1838; medical censor, to examine medical students at 
Dartmouth, in 1846 ; chosen delegate to the American Med- 
ical Association from the New Hampshire Society, in 1848; 
appointed professor of obstetrics in Philadelphia Medical 
College, in 1848 ; member of the Massachusetts Medical 
Society, in 1849 ; made Master of Arts by Dartmouth col- 
lege, in 1852 ; chosen president of Middlesex, Mass., North 
District Medical Society, in 1860 ; made delegate to Amer- 
ican Medical Society several times, and filled various offices 
in district and state societies. 

In 1838, May 9, Dr. Savory married Mary Stark, daugh- 
ter of Dr. James Stark and Susan Walker, of Hopkinton. 

Daniel Sawyer, the son of Edmund Sawyer and 
Mehitable Morrill, was born in Warner, March 16, 1797. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 465 

He attended a grammar school at Warner, and entered the 
Gilmanton Theological School, where he was prepared for 
the Congregational ministry. In the course of his life, he 
resided in Augusta and Portland, Me., Boston, Medford, 
and Quincy, Mass., Brookfield and Cornwall, N. J., Lemp- 
ster, Merrimack, and Hopkinton, and perhaps other places. 
His old age was spent in Hopkinton, where he died August 
24, 1888. 

In his capable life, Rev. Mr. Sawyer was a successful 
teacher of vocal music. He was at one time an agent of 
the American Peace Society. 

In 1832, May 21, Daniel Sawyer married Nancy John- 
son, daughter of William Johnson and Rhoda Spaulcling, of 
Warner. They had one child, — Cornelia Maria. 

James Scales, the first minister settled over the church 
in Hopkinton, was a native of Boxford, Mass. He grad- 
uated at Harvard college in the class of 1733. In 1737, by 
a recommendation of the church at Boxford, dated July 3, 
he was received into the church at Concord. On the 17th 
of the same month Mr. Scales received a permit from the 
town of Concord to build a pew in the meeting-house. 
His wife was also a member of Mr. Walker's church, of 
Concord. 

Some time after the above date, Mr. Scales became a 
resident of Canterbury, was town-clerk, and on the town 
records was known as "Esquire," and on the state records, 
about that date, he was called "Justice Scales." He was 
licensed to preach in 1743, and the records show that 
the town of Canterbury paid him ,£20 for preaching. 

February 21, 1744, Governor Wentworth sent a letter 
to the house assembly, from Mr. James Scales, with a peti- 
tion from the Indians relative to establishing a "truck- 
house " at Canterbury for trade with the Indians. 

October 1, 1745, the assembly voted to allow Mr. James 
Scales thirty shillings in full for medicine, application, and 
time. 

July 1, 1746, the house voted to allow "Doc. James 
Scales, Esqr." six shillings and three pence for physic 
administered to Samuel Ladd while in Canterbury. 

After the Indians captured the occupants of Woodwell's 
fort, Mr. Scales enlisted in a company under command of 
Capt. Jeremiah Clough, of Canterbury, to go in pursuit of 
29 



466 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the savages. The date of his enlistment was May 14, 
1746, and he was in service one month and twenty-three 
days, receiving two pounds and fifteen shillings for his 
time; but there is no record that he ever received any 
compensation for an Indian scalp or captive. 

It appears that Mr. Scales was still living in Canterbury 
as late as 1754, and signed a petition with others to Gov- 
ernor Wentworth for the purpose of having the province 
tax of Canterbury remitted for that year. It is presumed 
that he moved to Hopkinton some time prior to his being 
settled as pastor in 1757, for the records say " James Scales, 
of Hopkinton." 

Mr. Scales erected the first building in Henniker in 
1760. After he was dismissed from the ministry in 1770, 
it seems he threw off his clerical robes and acted in the 
profession of barrister ; and doubtless he was the first prac- 
tical lawyer who ever lived in Hopkinton. Mr. Scales died 
July 31, 1776, and Mr. Fletcher, in recording his death, 
called him "James Scales, Esquire," and when his wife 
died, July 8, 1780, the death was recorded as "Susan, wife 
of the late James Scales, Esquire." 

In 1771, "Esqr. Scales" was also a selectman of Hop- 
kinton. 

In earlier chapters of this work, we have given an account 
of the ordination of the Rev. James Scales in 1757. We 
have also given a description of the house he occupied on 
Putney's hill, 

The following were children of James and Susanna 
Scales, — the dates of birth are Old Style : John, born in 
Rumford, October 4, 1737; died in Canterbury, October 
13, 1752 ; Joseph, born in Rumford, April 15, 1740 ; died 
July 10, 1740 ; Stephen, born in Rumford, October 16, 
1741; Susanna, born in Canterbury, October 26, 1744. 

In the above sketch we have drawn considerably upon 
the notes of Alonzo J. Fogg. 

Stephen Sibley was born in Hopkinton, December 29, 
1780. The Sibley homestead was in Hatfield, where now 
lives Alexander Page. Stephen Sibley spent his early life 
on the farm. Later, he lived a short time in Maine. 
Returning to Hopkinton, he lived in the village a year, 
being occupied in the office of Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, pos- 
sibly as a student of medicine. Subsequently, he went in 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 467 

trade in partnership with Dr. Lernecl. He was afterwards 
in trade with one or more individuals, and still later alone. 
Finally, he purchased the farm now owned by his son-in- 
law, Dr. C. P. Gage, of Concord, on Brier hill, remaining 
on it till advanced life, when he moved to Concord, where 
he died in 1867. As a citizen of Hopkinton, Mr. Sibley 
was prominent in many ways. He was a selectman from 
1826 to 1828, and in 1835 and 1836. He was a represen- 
tative to the General Court in 1848 and 1849. As a 
farmer, he paid much attention to improved products and 
stock, and was at one time a large sheep-owner. 

Mr. Sibley married Sarah Brown, daughter of Abraham 
Brown and Sarah French, of Hopkinton. They had chil- 
dren, — Abram Brown, born February 22, 1811 ; Nancy 
George, born April 25, 1813 ; John, born July 10, 1816 ; 
Jacob, born January 13, 1819; Philip Brown, born March 
31, 1822. Mrs. Sibley died in 1857. 

James Buswell Silver, the son of Samuel Silver and 
Abigail Buswell, was born in Bow, August 3, 1792. He 
came to Hopkinton when young. He died in Merrimack, 
Me., where he lived a short time. He was a soldier of the 
War of 1812, enlisting March 23, 1814, for the war. In the 
military records of New Hampshire, he is known simply as 
Buswell Silver. He died December 25, 1835. He married 
Elvira Wallingford Hildreth, daughter of Levi Hildreth 
and Sarah Darling, of Hopkinton. They had children, — 
Frederick Augustus, born February 24, 1824; Elizabeth 
Darling, born October 19, 1827 ; James Buswell, born 
August 2, 1830 ; Ellen Hildreth, born May 8, 1833; Henry 
Hildreth, born October 15, 1834. 

Abiel Silver, a clergyman of the New Jerusalem or 
Sweclenborgian church, was born in Hopkinton, April 3, 
1797, being a son of John and Mary Silver. In early life, 
he pursued the trade of a mason, but eventually losing his 
left arm, his calling became unprofitable. He was naturally 
a thoughtful and devout man. He joined the Protestant 
Episcopal church, and at length studied for its ministry. 
After two years, conceiving an attachment for the doc- 
trines of Emanuel Swedenborg, he turned his attention to 
the ministry of the church of the New Jerusalem. In 
1849, June 16, he was ordained at Philadelphia, Pa., by the 



468 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPEJNTON. 

Rev. Thomas Worcester, presiding minister of the General 
Convention of the New Jerusalem Church. From 1849 to 
1853, the Rev. Mr. Silver was a missionary in Michigan ; 
in 1853, he preached in Contoocook ; in 1858, in Wilming- 
ton, Del.; in 1860, in New York city; in 1866, in Salem, 
Mass. ; in 1868, in Roxbury, Mass., where he resided till 
his death. 

The Rev. Mr. Silver published a number of religious and 
theological works, prominent among them being the "Sym- 
bolic Character of the Sacred Scriptures," 1862; "The 
Holy Word in Its Own Defence," being a reply to Bishop 
Colenso, 1863; "Rationality of the Christian Religion," 
1872. 

In 1825, May 16, Abiel Silver married Ednah Hastings, 
daughter of Moses Hastings, of Hopkinton. They had 
one daughter, — Ednah. 

The Rev. Mr. Silver died March 27, 1881, by drowning 
in the Charles river near Boston. 

Samuel Simpson, the son of Joseph and Mary Simp- 
son, was born in Pembroke, January 2, 1777. He came to 
Hopkinton about 1817. He was a school-teacher of the 
olden time, and also a farmer. His first wife was Rebecca 
Dickerman, daughter of Enoch Dickerman and Sarah 
Wales, of Canton, Mass.; his second, Mrs. Anna Jackman, 
of Boscawen. Samuel Simpson had children, — Moses 
Wales, born May 16, 1808 ; Sarah Dickerman, born May 3, 
1810 ; Rebecca Bent, born May 10, 1813 ; Lydia Tucker, 
born April 24, 1816; Samuel Tolman, born July 22, 1818; 
Asa Hood, born August 17, 1820; John Harvey, born 
October 2, 1823. Samuel Simpson died May 10, 1857 j 
Rebecca Dickerman, his wife, January 21, 1829. 

Joseph Simpson, father of Samuel, was a Revolutionary 
soldier, who retained his wounded horse and military equip- 
ments long after peace ensued. From this fact, we assume 
he may have been an officer. 

Nehemiah D. Sleeper, the son of Thomas Sleeper, was 
born in Andover, July 3, 1793. Till about thirty years of 
age, he followed farming. In February, 1810, he became 
a religious convert, and, in 1815, began to exhort in public. 
Subsequently he was ordained as a minister of the Chris- 
tian denomination, and preached in Andover fifteen years. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 469 

He next preached in Boscawen (now Webster) seven 
years. Leaving Boscawen in 1846, he lived in Concord 
a part of a year, and then came to Hopkinton, residing in 
Contoocook nearly twenty-five years previously to his 
death, October 8, 1881. After leaving Boscawen, he had 
no regular settlement, but preached almost constantly, 
often in school-houses. In the earlier days of his ministry, 
he made many converts. He solemnized many marriages 
in Andover, as the town records attest. He was pop- 
ularly known as Elder Sleeper. 

In 1822, January 18, Elder Sleeper married Charlotte 
Taylor, of Sutton, who died December 1, 1839. She bore 
him a son and a daughter. In 1841, July 15, he married 
Maria D. (Hildreth) Jackman, who died November 3, 1878. 
Elder Sleeper's son, Joseph D., resides in Concord; his 
daughter, Mrs. Caroline Jackman, in Maine. 

Dtjrrill Smart, the son of Benning Smart and Abigail 
Hutchins, was born in Hopkinton, September 15, 1807. 
When eight years of age, the subject of this sketch went 
to Concord with his father, and resided there about ten 
years. He subsequently lived less than a year in Clare- 
niont, then again about a year in Concord, the balance of 
his life being spent in Hopkinton. Durrill Smart is a 
farmer. In former militia days, he was four years a lieu- 
tenant of light infantry, and one year a captain. He was 
two years a Methodist exhorter, and about thirty-two years 
an active local preacher, receiving his appointment in 1843. 

At the early age of about eighteen, Mr. Smart married 
Ariann Stanford Brown, daughter of Lemuel Brown and 
Phcebe Sanborn, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Will- 
iam H., Edwin D., Anna N., Elizabeth E. (two), George 
N., Mary Ella., Sophronia P., Frank B. For a second 
wife, Mr. Smart married Lydia L. (Kimball) Crowell, 
widow of Albert Crowell, and daughter of Daniel Kimball, 
of Hopkinton. 

James Smith, whose name is perpetuated in Smith's 
pond, is supposed to have come from Newbury, Mass., to 
Hopkinton about the time this town was incorporated in 
1765. He settled near the pond now called after him, and 
became a citizen prominent in the counsels of the town. 
He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1776. On the 16th 



470 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

da}'" of April, 1788, he was found dead in his field, where 
he had been ploughing. It was surmised by some that he 
had been struck by lightning, as a slight shower had 
passed ; but the prevailing opinion seems to have been that 
lie died from a sudden illness. On the day of Mr. Smith's 
funeral, Moses Chandler set out the elm that now stands 
in front of the empty house lately occupied by Miss Lydia 
Story. James Smith had a wife, Elizabeth, who died 
December 30, 1801. There were at least five children of 
James and Elizabeth Smith. They were, — Katie, born 
November 24, 1758 ; Richard, born June 29, 1760 ; Betty, 
born November 2, 1763 ; James, born August 17, 1767 ; 
Nanny, born January 21, 1769. The first three named are 
supposed to have been born in Newbury. 

Ethan Smith, an early minister of Hopkinton, was 
born in Belchertown, Mass., December 19, 1762. A soldier 
of the Revolution, he was at West Point when Arnold sold 
that fortress to the British. He graduated at Dartmouth 
college in 1790. The same year, he was settled as a Con- 
gregational minister in Haverhill, where he resided nine 
years. He was installed in Hopkinton, March 12, 1800, 
and dismissed December 16, 1817. He subsequently 
preached in Hebron, N. Y., about four years ; in Poultney, 
Vt., about five years ; in Hanover, Mass., a number of 
years. He published many major and minor works, prom- 
inent among them being "A Dissertation on the Proph- 
ecies," "A View of the Trinity," "A View of the Hebrews," 
"Lectures on the Subjects and Mode of Baptism," "A Key 
to the Figurative Language of the Bible." Several of his 
works passed through a number of editions each. While 
a resident of Hopkinton, the Rev. Mr. Smith was secretary 
of the New Hampshire Missionary Society. His home in 
Hopkinton was the place nearly opposite the house of Jo- 
seph L. Hagar on the Concord road. 

Rev. Ethan Smith was somewhat inclined to controversy. 
During his ministry in Hopkinton, the Episcopal church 
was established here. A sermon which he preached against 
Episcopalianism brought forth a lengthy reply from Nathan- 
iel Adams, of Portsmouth, in June, 1817. 

About 1791, Rev. Mr. Smith married Bathsheba San- 
ford, daughter of the Rev. David Sanford, of Medway, 
Mass. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 471 

There were children of this marriage, — Myron, born Jan- 
uary 10, 1794; Stephen Sanford, born April 14, 1797; 
Carlos, born July 17, 1801 ; Gratia Fletcher, born May 23, 
1803 ; Lyndon, born November 11, 1805. 

Carlos Smith is thus mentioned in the researches of 
the Rev. N. F. Carter : 

Carlos Smith, D. D., Presbyterian, son of Rev. Ethan and Beth- 
sheba (Sanford) Smith, was born July 17, 1801. Graduated at 
Union college in 1822. Teacher in Petersburg, Va., and Thetford, 
Vt., 1822-'26 ; at Catskill, N. Y., 1826-'32. Ordained an evan- 
gelist by the Oneida Presbytery at Utica, N. Y., February 7, 1832. 
Acting pastor at Manlius, N. Y., 1832-'36 ; at Painsville, O., 1836- 
'44; at Massillon, O., 1844-47; at Tallmadge, O., from July, 
1848, to January, 1862 ; at Akron, O., 1862-73. Without charge 
at Akron, O., 1873 till his death there April 22, 1877. Received his 
D. D. from Buchtel college, Akron, O., in 1876. He married 
Sarah, daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Weston) Saxton, of Han- 
over, February 20, 1827. Publications — (1) Progress and Patience, 
a missionary sermon, 1847 ; (2) God's Voice Misunderstood, a 
Thanksgiving sermon, 1847 ; (3) The Pulpit Tbeme, an ordination 
sermon, 1854 ; (4) Eyes and No Eyes, sermon on Isaiah 42 : 20, 
1854 ; (5) Spiritualism, or the Bible a Sufficient Witness, 1854 ; 
(6) God's Call to the Nation, 1861; (7) The Memory of our 
Noble Dead, 1864 ; (8) Christ in the Bible, a dissertation, 1870 ; 
(9) The Selling of Intoxicating Drinks Immoral ; (10) Roman and 
Grecian Civilization, a lecture, 1872 ; (11) To Young Men, an 
Address on the Death of Horace Greeley, 1872 ; (12) Farewell 
Sermon, Akron, March 30, 1873 ; (13) A Funeral Address : The 
Value of a Good Man, 1873 ; (14) Historical Discourse, Semi- 
centennial, Tallmadge, O., September 8, 1875 ; (15) An Adven- 
ture at Sea, an address at Canton, O. 

Isaac Smith was born in Rowley, Mass., June 25, 1766. 
In the course of his life he resided in Ipswich, Mass., Can- 
terbury, Concord, Loudon, and Hopkinton. He was a 
school-teacher about twenty years. He was post-master of 
Ipswich, a captain of militia, and a deacon of the Baptist 
church. 

In 1789, December 6, he married Abigail Cogswell, daugh- 
ter of Dr. Nathaniel Cogswell. They had thirteen children, 
as follows : Elizabeth, born September 2, 1790 ; Nabby, 
born May 24, 1792 ; Charles, born March 11, 1794 ; John, 
born March 19, 1795 ; Abigail C, born October 21, 1796 ; 
Sarah, born June 30, 1798 ; Isaac, born March 14, 1800 ; 



472 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Hannah O, born September 10, 1801 ; D. Francis, born 
March 15, 1803 ; Nathaniel C, born March 4, 1806 ; Louisa 
C, born August 4, 1808; Nathaniel C, born March 26, 
1809; E. Emery, born February 9, 1811. Deacon Smith's 
second wife was Sarah Sargent, widowed, of Hopkinton. 

Deacon Smith died December 23, 1857 ; Abigail C, his 
wife, January 7, 1838. 

Andeew S. Smith, the son of Aaron Smith and Eliza 
Ann Sherburne, was born in Hopkinton, March 17. 1825. 
Since 1851, he has lived in Concord. He is a farmer. He 
has been two years clerk of ward 7, Concord ; common 
councilman, two years ; member of the board of aldermen, 
two years ; assessor, six years ; member of the state legis- 
lature in 1877 and 1878 ; etc. 

In 1852, he married Mary F. Kelly, daughter of the Rev. 
Samuel Kelly and Mary Ann Sherburne, of Lawrence, 
Mass. They have children, — Ella ML, Fred K. 

Aaeon Smith, the son of Aaron Smith and Eliza Ann 
Sherburne, was born in Hopkinton, August 17, 1827, and 
has always resided in this town. He is a carpenter and 
farmer. He was a lieutenant of militia in former days, and 
is a deacon of the Congregational church. 

In 1856, September, Aaron Smith' married Philena P. 
Hawthorne, daughter of Calvin Hawthorne and Rachel 
Jackman, of Hopkinton. 



SECTION XXIV. 

SPENCER — S YMONDS . 

Elijah Spencee, the son of Abner and Lois Torrey 
Spencer, was born in Wilmington, Vt.. March 29, 1814. 
He resided in Wilmington and Brattleborough, Vt., till 
1872 ; since 1872, he has lived in Hopkinton. He is a 
farmer. 

In 1857, October 4, he married Susan A. Fitch, daughter 
of Erastus Fitch and Arminda Johnson, of Wilmington. 
Vt Their children are,— Manda F., Silas M., Elizabeth E., 
Mary L., Sumner E. 




Hon. Clinton W. Stanley. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 473 

Sebastian Spofford was born in Hawke (now Dan- 
bury) about 1795. In the course of his life, he resided in 
Chester about eighteen years. He came to Hopkinton in 
1833. He was a farmer and a captain of militia. 

About 1818, he married Sally Hook, daughter of Samuel 
Hook and Judith Williams, of Chester. They had chil- 
dren, — Samuel, born 1818 ; James, born 1824 ; Frederick, 
born 1825. 

Captain Spofford died July 31, 1846, aged 49. 

Horace C. Stanley, the son of Jonathan Stanley and 
Rebecca Clough, was born in Hopkinton, June 14, 1806, 
and alwa}^s resided in Hopkinton. For many years he 
lived where his son, Edward W. Stanley, now lives in Con- 
toocook. Horace C. Stanley was a carpenter and farmer, 
who was prominent in various local interests. He was a 
direct descendant of the 4th generation from Matthew 
Stanley, an early resident of Hopkinton. In 1850 and 1852, 
the subject of this sketch represented Hopkinton at the 
General Court. 

In 1827, April 22, Horace C. Stanle} r married Mary Ann 
Kimball, daughter of John Kimball and Lvdia Clough, of 
Hopkinton. She died August 26, 1853. In 1859, April 26, 
Mr. Stanle}^ married Pluma F. Savory, daughter of Daniel 
Savory and Mary Straw, of Warner. By his first wife, Mr. 
Stanley had children, — Clinton W., Helen I., Benton M., 
Edward W. 

Mr. Stanley died March 18, 1888. He was a descendant of 
the Matthew Stanley frequently mentioned in the earlier 
chapters of this work, and who is said to have come to Hop- 
kinton from Rumford (now Concord). 

Clinton W. Stanley, the son of Horace C. Stanley and 
Mary A. Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, December 5, 
1830. He was educated at Hopkinton academy and at 
Dartmouth college. He read law with Hamilton E. Per- 
kins, at Contoocook. He resided in Contoocook till 1853, 
and subsequently in Manchester. Clinton W. Stanley was 
United States commissioner from 1858 to 1876; associate 
justice of the circuit court from 1874 to 1876 ; associate 
justice of the supreme court from 1876 to his death. He 
was thirteen years president of the Manchester City National 
Bank. He was also a trustee of Dartmouth college. • 



474 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In 1857, December 24, Clinton W. Stanley married Lydia 
A. Woodbury, daughter of William Woodbury and Philinda 
H. Blanchard, of Weare. 

Judge Stanley died December 1, 1884. 

Joseph Stanwood, the son of William Stanwood and 
Susan Williams, was born in West Newbury, Mass., in 1806. 
He resided successively in West Newbury and Boston, 
Mass., and Hopkinton. He was many years a merchant in 
Hopkinton Tillage, being also for years the post-master. He 
was a selectman of Hopkinton from 1850 to 1852 ; town- 
clerk from 1857 to 1859 ; representative to the General 
Court, in 1858 and 1859. 

In 1829, November 11, Joseph Stanwood married Louisa 
A. Perkins, daughter of Bimsley Perkins and Susan Ladd, 
of Hopkinton. They had children, — Helen Hamilton, 
Henry Perkins, Frederick Williams, Susan Ladd, Louisa 
Perkins. 

Mr. Stanwood died October 11, 1859. 

Henpy P. Stanwood, the son of Joseph Stanwood and 
Louisa A. Perkins, was born in Hopkinton, July 13, 1832. 
In early life, he attended Hopkinton academy, and event- 
ually became an office clerk, being three years in Augusta, 
Me. Turning his attention to railroad affairs, he became 
superintendent of the Madison Division of the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railway, holding this position in 1866 and 
1867. The next two years he was assistant superintendent 
of the Iowa Division of the same railway system. Then, 
till 1873, he was general freight and passenger agent of the 
same railway system ; then till 1877, general western agent 
of the same at San Francisco, Cal. Subsequently he was 
general agent of the California Fast Freight line till 1883, 
when he left California to become general agent of the 
same line at New York, where he remained a year or two. 
After this he was out of business till about 1886, when he 
returned to San Francisco, to resume former business rela- 
tions, dying there July 11, 1888. 

In 1859, December 24, Mr. Stanwood married Caroline 
H. Wildes, daughter of Asa Wildes, of Newburyport, Mass. 
They had one child, — Carrie. 

Frederick W. Stanwood, the son of Joseph Stanwood 
ancWLouisa A. Perkins, was born in Hopkinton, December 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 475 

13, 1836. He was educated at Hopkinton academy and 
Harvard college. He was town-clerk of Hopkinton in 
1860 and for a number of years ticket-agent of the Chicago 
& Northwestern Railway at Chicago, 111. Being in ill 
health, he was obliged to return to Hopkinton, where he 
died January 24, 1877. 

James Stark, many years a physician of Hopkinton, 
was a native of Dunbarton. He lived in Hopkinton on the 
spot where now lives Charles J. Conner. 

He married Susan Walker, of Manchester. They had 
children, — Solon, Bridgett, Mary, Patrick H., Gilbert. 

Dr. Stark died December 20, 1827, aged 47 ; his wife, 
September 25, 1869, aged 83. 

Gilmon A. Stevens, the son of John Stevens and Susan 
Tarbox, was born in Goffstown, July 11, 1826. He was 
educated at the Manchester high school. In early man- 
hood, he learned the trade of a belt-maker and manufacturer 
of roller covering. He resided in Goffstown and Bedford 
till 1843, in Manchester till 1859, and since then in Con- 
toocook. He was selectman of Hopkinton from 1877 to 
1882, and in 1887 and 1888. 

In 1850, October 13, Mr. Stevens married Lovica Clark, 
daughter of John Clark and Lydia Putney, of Hopkinton. 
They had one child, — Edgar W. Mrs. Stevens died July 
21, 1881. In 1882, December 21, Mr. Stevens married 
Mary Ann (Perkins) Cooper, of Concord. She is a daugh- 
ter of True Perkins and Mary Ann Chapman. 

Edgar W. Stevens, the son of Gilmon A. Stevens and 
Lovica Clark, was born in Manchester, November 12, 
1851. He graduated from the New Hampton Institute in 
1871. He became a merchant of Contoocook, in the firm 
of Curtice & Stevens. From 1877 to 1885, he was post- 
master of Contoocook. He is now a merchant of Haver- 
hill, Mass. 

In 1873, September 30, Mr. Stevens married Georgia G. 
Putnam, daughter of George Putnam and Betsey Black- 
stone, of Bradford, Mass. They have had one child, — 
Lena Viola. 

Clarendon A. Stone, the son of Alexander Stone and 
Selina S. Gould, was born in Brattleboro, Vt., January 



476 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

21, 1837. He was educated at Knox college in Illinois, 
and became a lawyer. He subsequently pursued a course 
of study at Bangor (Me.) Theological Seminary, and became 
a clergyman. During the late war he was a lieutenant and 
captain, and at one time a military prisoner. He was pastor 
of the Congregational church in Hopkinton from Decem- 
ber 29, 1874, to September 1, 1881. He was a member of 
the superintending school-committee of Hopkinton from 
1878 to 1880. The Rev. Mr. Stone tilled various pulpits in 
the East and West, and died suddenly in California a few 
years ago. 

In 1861, August 28, he married Lizzie R. Gilbert, daugh- 
ter of Neziah Gilbert and Mary Gifford, of Galesburg, 111. 
They had children, — Charles H., Jennie M., Lena A. 

Isaac Story, the son of Jeremiah Story and Judith Far- 
num, was born in Hopkinton, December 8, 1808. In early 
life, he improved the advantages for intellectual culture 
that the state of society afforded in Hopkinton, and at length 
became a teacher of district schools. For many years, he 
taught some portion of the winter in Hopkinton, besides at 
one time teaching for a longer or shorter period in Con- 
cord. He also paid special attention to music, and for 
many years was a teacher of singing-schools in this and 
other towns in the vicinity. He was al^o a martial musi- 
cian in old militia days, and later a clarinet player in the 
Hopkinton Cornet Band. He was one year adjutant of the 
40th Regiment of New Hampshire Militia with the rank of 
captain. From 1834 to 1840, he resided in Concord, where 
he followed the business of a house-painter. The rest of 
his life he has been a resident in Hopkinton, where he has 
mainly devoted himself to farming. Captain Story's home 
is now about a mile east from Hopkinton village on the 
Concord road. In 1850, 1851, 1853, 1856, and 1857, Isaac 
Story was a member of the superintending school-commit- 
tee ; from 1860 to 1863, a selectman. 

In 1835, December 15, Isaac Story married Lydia Poor 
Kimball, of Hopkinton, a daughter of Moses Kimball and 
Jane Moore. 

Isaac Story is a descendant of Jeremiah Story, who came 
from Essex, Mass., to Hopkinton before the Revolution. 
He . had sons, — Jeremiah, Zachariah, Nathan, Thomas, 
Joseph. Jeremiah Story settled on Story hill, to which the 



PERSONAL AND BEOGRAPHICAL. 477 

so called Tenny road leads from its junction with the South 
road at George E. Foss's. Jeremiah, his son, settled where 
now lives Edmund R. Guild; Nathan, on the South road; 
Thomas, on the Tenny road ; Joseph, at Sugar hill. 

Jeremiah S. Story, the son of Jeremiah Story and 
Judith Farnum, was born in Hopkinton, August 30, 1815. 
In early life, he attended Master John O. Ballard's school 
and Hopkinton academy. He was a farmer who lived on 
the Story homestead, where now lives Edmund R. Guild. 
Mr. Story was an ensign of the Hopkinton Cold Water 
Phalanx, a bugler of militia, and once paymaster of the 40th 
Regiment. He represented Hopkinton at the General 
Court in 1871. 

Mr. Story married Sophronia S. Smart, daughter of Caleb 
Smart and Harriet Chandler, of Hopkinton. They had 
children, — Helen Josephine, Clara J. 

Mr. Story died October 15, 1876. 

James K. Story, the son of William K. Story and Lydia 
Knowlton, was born in Hopkinton, August 17, 1814. In 
early life, he attended Hopkinton academy. From 1835 to 
1862, he was a wholesale travelling salesman ; since 1862, 
he has been a farmer. In 1856 and 1857, he represented 
Hopkinton at the General Court. 

In 1835, Mr. Story married Sarah Story, daughter of 
Moses Story and Sally Chandler, of Hopkinton. They 
have had children, — David B., George M., Sarah Annette. 

David B. Story, the son of James K. and Sarah Story, 
was born in Hopkinton, January 19, 1836. In early life, he 
attended Hopkinton academy. From 1854 to 1864, he 
pursued the calling of a butcher, at one time keeping a 
meat-market in Concord. In 1864, he adopted the business 
of hotel-keeping, opening the Perkins House in Hopkinton 
village, this house being burned in 1872. Mr. Story then 
went to Lake Village and kept the Mt. Belknap House till 
1876. He next kept the Laconia House at Laconia, till 
1879, when he became proprietor of the Hotel Weirs, con- 
tinuing till 1889, when he assumed the conduct of Story's 
Hotel Weirs. In 1882, he kept the Elm wood House, 
Laconia. Mr. Story has been frequently the incumbent of 
civil office. He was deputy sheriff of Merrimack county in 



478 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

1871 and 1873 ; the same of Belknap county, from 1874 to 
1877 ; selectman of Laconia, in 1881 and 1882 ; sheriff of 
Belknap county, from 1883 to 1886. As sheriff of Belknap 
county, he executed Thomas Samon, the only man ever 
convicted and executed in the county. Mr. Story has held 
many minor offices in different towns. He is widely known 
as a martial and orchestral musician, being a performer on 
different instruments. 

In 1857, February 6, David B. Story married Sarah J. 
French, daughter of Benjamin and Eliza French, of Hop- 
kinton. They have had children, — James Henry, Ada 
Stevens, Fred Williams, Charles Franklin, Benjamin French. 

Samuel B. Straw is thus mentioned in the Newburgh 
(N. Y.) Journal of August 5, 1884: 

Dr. Samuel B. Straw, the well known dentist of this city, died 
last evening, aged 83 years. He was born in Hopkinton, N. H., 
and came to Newburgh about seventeen or eighteen years ago, to 
join his son, Dr. L. S. Straw, who at that time had been a resident 
for about ten years. In his early years Dr. Straw, Sr., studied 
medicine, and practised the profession for twelve years before prac- 
tising dentistry. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he joined a 
Maine regiment in the capacity of surgeon, and served with it until 
it was discharged. He then offered his services to the governor of 
New York, and was appointed a surgeon at the hospital at Lansing- 
burgh, and afterward at Elmira. While a resident of Maine he was 
for a time the grand-master of the grand lodge of Odd Fellows. 
During his residence in this city he was engaged in the profession of 
dentistry with his son. Dr. Straw was twice married. His first 
wife was Miss Malinda Colby, of Hopkinton, N. H, by whom he 
had three children, only one of whom, Dr. L. S. Straw, is now liv- 
ing. His second wife was Miss Hawkins, of Lansingburgh, who 
survives him. The cause of death, aside from the infirmities of old 
age, was bronchial consumption. The funeral will take place on 
Thursday afternoon, from St. Paul's church; interment in St. 
George's cemetery. 

William S. Straw, the son of William Straw and Han- 
nah Huse, was born in Hopkinton, June 1, 1817. With the 
exception of about two years in Methuen, Mass., he has 
always lived in Hopkinton. He is a farmer. In militia 
days, he was a lieutenant of rifles. 

In 1842, June, he married Mary Ann Flanders, the daugh- 
ter of James Flanders and Mary Peaslee, of Hopkinton. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 479 

They have living children, — Hannah Marion, Luella Eda, 
Abbie Frances, James Otis, Charles Herbert. 

William S. Straw is the grandson of Jacob Straw, who 
came to Hopkinton in very early times. He was one of 
the Masonian grantees in 1750, owning one lot in the town- 
ship. He was a carpenter and joiner, who bought a lot 
and built a house where John Roach now lives. The lot 
included fifty acres of land, cost $25, and was paid for in 
five years by instalments, Mr. Straw making a journey to 
Newburyport each year for the purpose. He afterwards 
sold, and moved to Sugar hill, where he purchased 200 
acres of that part of the hill where Seth Straw and Henry 
Eaton now live on the Weare side of the line between 
Hopkinton and Weare. Mr. Straw sold again, and pur- 
chased 300 acres in the territory of Hopkinton now occu- 
pied by Sullivan Flanders, Horace Straw, Frank P. Colby, 
Charles Chandler, and perhaps others. Jacob Straw had 
twelve children, — six sons and six daughters, — whose ages 
averaged over 77 years when they died. , 

Edmund S. Straw, the son of William Straw and Char- 
lotte Abbott, was born in Hopkinton, December 6, 1819, 
and has always lived in this town, being a farmer. He was 
an ensign of militia one year and a captain two years. In 
1878, he was representative to the General Court. 

In 1853, September 29, Mr. Straw married Emeline Kel- 
ley, daughter of Stephen Kelley and Hannah Bartlett. 
They have children, — Nyra Abbott, Maria Gertrude, Henry 
Herbert. 

John S. Straw, the son of Levi Straw and Harriet 
Carlton, was born in Hopkinton, June 19, 1838, and has 
always lived in this town. He is a farmer of prosperous 
habits. He has frequently served as auditor of the town's 
accounts, and has been a member of the town district school- 
board .since 1886. 

In 1860, September 6, Mr. Straw married Mary A. 
Holmes, daughter of Gardiner Holmes and Betsey Melvin, 
of Amherst. They have children, — L. Delia, Flora M., 
M. Edith. 

William M. Sweat, the son of Isaac T. Sweat and 
Mary Davis, was born in Boscawen (now Webster), Feb- 



480 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

ruary 20, 1812. In 1865, he moved to Hopkinton, where 
he has since resided. He is a farmer and miller. He was 
two years a representative to the General Court from Web- 
ster. 

In 1835, January 27, he married Sarah Dervine, daugh- 
ter of Samuel Dervine and Sarah Moody, of Boscawen. 
They had children, — Rowenna, Herman (1), Herman (2), 
Ann E., Sarah M., William B. Mrs. Sweat died October 
22, 1850, and in 1852, February 18, Mr. Sweat married 
Lydia M. Abbott, daughter of Halton Abbott and Polly 
Farrington, of Lowell, Mass. They had one daughter, 
Sarah D. Mrs. Sweat died October 11, 1884. 

Tilton Symonds, the son of Eliphalet Symonds and 
Tamison Tilton, was born in Hillsborough in 1819. In 
1857, he moved to Hopkinton, where he has since resided, 
being a farmer. He was a superintending school-committee 
of Hillsborough, and has been a deacon of the Congrega- 
tional church in Hopkinton. 

In 1836, Tilton Symonds married Catharine B. Dutton, 
daughter of Jeremiah Dutton and Betsey Baker, of Hills- 
borough. They had children, — Edward, Emily Hatch,, 
Benjamin Dutton, Ephraim Baker, Samuel Tilton. 

Mrs. Symonds died May 20, 1885. 



SECTION XXV. 

TAGGART — WEEKS. 

John L. Taggart, the son of James Taggart and Han- 
nah Reed, was born in Dunbarton, November 29, 1810. In 
early life he attended Pembroke academy. He lived in 
Dunbarton (now Hooksett) till 1856 ; in Goffstown, till 
1870 ; since 1870, in Contoocook. For a few years he was 
a manufacturer of mackerel kits in Contoocook, in the firm 
of Taggart & McClure. Mr. Taggart was collector of taxes 
in Hopkinton in 1881 and 1882. 

In 1834, April 20, Mr. Taggart married Betsey UptOn, 
daughter of Elijah Upton and Betsey Bancroft, of Bow. 
She died June 20, 1865. They had children, — Elizabeth 
B. and James G. In 1870, April 20, Mr. Taggart married 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 481 

Adeline W. (Loveren) Carroll, daughter of Timothy 
Loveren and Julia Wadleigh, of Sutton. 

John C. Tebbets, the son of Bradbury Tebbets and 
Polly Clough, was born in Northfield, January 19, 1805. 
He was educated in his native town and Sanbornton Bridge 
(now Tilton). In early manhood, he entered the law office 
of Lyman B. Walker, of Meredith Bridge (now Laconia), 
but was compelled by ill health to relinquish his studies, 
and eventually he became a merchant. In the course of 
his life, Mr. Tebbets resided in Boston, Mass., Hopkinton, 
and New York. While in Hopkinton, he lived in the house 
now occupied by Robert R. Kimball. While in this town, 
Mr. Tebbets gave considerable attention to the cultivation 
of an improved breed of horses. Under the administration 
of Governor Badger, he was appointed a deputy sheriff. 

In 1828, August 11, Mr. Tebbets married Sophia (Will- 
iams) Whitman, of Boston, Mass. She died November 18, 
1862 ; Mr. Tebbets, August 25, 1881. 

Joseph Tewksbury, the son of John Tewksbury and 
Sarah Kendall, was born in Hopkinton in 1797, and always 
resided in this town. He was a farmer. He was more 
than twenty years a deacon of the Baptist church. He 
was at one time the only "abolitionist" in the town. His 
was a remarkably large head, and his intelligence was pro- 
portional. 

His wife was Eliza Butler, of Essex, Mass. Deacon 
Tewksbury died November 12, 1866; his wife, June 12, 
1874. They had children, — Henry, John, Mary, Albert, 
Robert H., Eliza A., Susan. 

Robert H. Tewksbury, the son of Joseph Tewksbury 
and Eliza Butler, was born in Hopkinton, April 11, 1833. 
In 1852, he went to Lawrence, Mass., where he has remained 
since, excepting about six months spent in Boston, Mass. 
In Lawrence, he has been assessor of taxes, city treasurer, 
mayor, member of the water-board, etc. He is a cashier. 

In 1859, November 24, he married AngeliaC. Hawthorne, 
daughter of Calvin Hawthorne and Rachel Jackman, of 
Hopkinton. They have children, — Willie H., Robert L. 

Herbert E. Thayer, present pastor of the Baptist 
church, was born in Farmingdale, Me., October 3, 1860, 
30 



482 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

being a son of George A. Thayer and Louisa Seavey. He 
graduated from Brown university in 1882, at which time 
his home was in Foxboro', Mass. He lived in Conway, 
Mass., till 1884, in Newton Centre, Mass., till 1887, when 
he graduated from the Newton Theological Seminary ; in 
1887, he became pastor of the church in Hopkinton. Mr. 
Thayer was a census enumerator in 1880 ; principal of 
Conway (Mass.) high school from 1882 to 1884 ; secretary 
of the New Hampshire Conference of Baptist Ministers in 
1888 ; secretary of the Kearsarge Bible Society in 1889, 
being the same year clerk of the Salisbury Baptist Asso- 
ciation. 

In 1888, August 2, Rev. Mr. Thayer married Mary Eliza 
Barney, daughter of Giles W. Barney and Frances Packard, 
of South Hadley Falls, Mass. 

Joseph S. Thompson, the son of William G. Thompson 
and Susan E. Stanwood, was born in Hopkinton, Decem- 
ber 20, 1842. He resided in Hopkinton till 1865 ; in Bur- 
lington, la., till 1868 : since 1868, in Weare and in Goffs- 
toAvn, his present residence being in Goffstown. He is a 
mechanic. During the late war he served in Company F, 
2d Regiment of U. S. sharp-shooters, being mustered in 
November 26, 1861; promoted to corporal; reenlisted, 
December 21, 1863; wounded, June 6, 1864; transferred 
to Company K, 5th Regiment N. H. Vols., January 30, 
1865; transferred to Company F; mustered out, July 8, 
1865. 

In 1873, December 16, Joseph S. Thompson married 
Maria Farnham, daughter of Joseph Farnham, of Phillips- 
ville, Ontario, Ont., by whom he had one child, — Joseph F. 
Mrs. Thompson died October 14, 1874, and Mr. Thompson, 
October 1, 1877, married Sarah Young, daughter of Henry 
Young and Sarah Thompson, of Goffstown. They have 
children, — Suraa E., Josie A., Howard S., Maria E., Gor- 
don H. 

Joseph Towne, an early merchant of Hopkinton, 
appears to have come to this town before 1800. He had 
previously lived in New Boston, where three of his children 
were born. In Hopkinton, Mr. Towne became the most 
prominent merchant of the town. He is also said to have 
done the most business of any merchant of this section of 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 483 

the state. He eventually built the store building- now 
occupied by Charles French. He erected the house now 
owned by Robert R. Kimball. He appears also to have 
been interested in business in Contoocook, where he is said 
to have built the house now owned by Mrs. Caroline L. 
George. Mr. Towne was prominent in various public mat- 
ters of the town. lie was the first president of the former 
Concord Bank. Though an enterprising merchant, he 
became insolvent and died penniless, his body being at- 
tached by his creditors after his decease. 

The following were children of Joseph and Sarah 
Towne : Polly, born November 25, 1785 ; Joseph Bout- 
well, born February 9, 1787 ; Thomas, born December 3, 
1788; Sally, born July 22, 1792; Rebecca, born June 12, 
1796 ; Rodney, born June 25, 1800; Charlotte, born August 
4, 1802. 

David Tucker, the son of Ezra Tucker and Hannah 
Hardy, was born in Henniker, August 2, 1814. He resided 
in Henniker till 1850 ; since 1850, his home has been in 
Hopkinton. He is a farmer. He was agent of the Hop- 
kinton town farm from 1850 to 1852, and from 1867 to 
1869. He was chosen deacon of the Freewill Baptist church 
in Contoocook in 1855. 

In 1843, March 7, David Tucker married Mary Elizabeth 
Straw, daughter of Levi Straw and Harriet Carlton, of 
Hopkinton. They have children, — Harriet N., David C, 
Helen M. 

James Tuttle, the son of Jedediah Tuttle and Lucia 
Smith, was born in Winchendon, Mass. In comparatively 
early life he came to Hopkinton, and eventually located on 
the spot where now lives James S. Tuttle, his grandson. 
James Tuttle was a farmer and a manufacturer of boxes 
and measures. By dint of industry, he saved enough to 
purchase a farm of respectable proportions on Putney's 
hill. He used to convey his goods to the lower country 
and sell them, sometimes receiving barter in exchange, 
which he in turn sold to his neighbors, in all things being 
somewhat conspicuous for business activity. 

James Tuttle married Elizabeth Tuttle, daughter of 
Charles Tuttle, of Hamilton, Mass. Her mother's maiden 
name was Dodge. James and Elizabeth Tuttle had chil- 



484 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

dren, — Seth, born December 17, 1803; Charles, born March. 

14, 1805 ; Lucy, born April 14, 1807 ; James, born Octo- 
ber 7, 1809 ; Seth, born June 27, 1814 ; Louisa, born 
December 31, 1823. 

Mr. Tuttle died April 23, 1859, aged 78 ; his wife, April 

15, 1872, aged 92. 

John W. E. Tuttle, the son of Simon Tuttle and Sally 
D. Sargent, was born in Franconia, December 28, 1816. 
When about four years of age, he moved with his father to 
Lincoln, where his father conducted a public house, which 
was afterwards kept by the son and known as the " Farmer's 
House," or the "Tuttle Stand." Here John W. E. Tuttle 
lived till 1887, when he moved to Contoocook in Hopkin- 
ton. During his residence in Lincoln, the subject of this 
sketch was a farmer, guide to the mountains, agent for the 
outlay of state funds raised for highways, and town officer. 
He was never out of office after 22 years of age, holding 
nearly or quite every office in the gift of the town, and 
serving twice in the state house of representatives. He 
was also a lieutenant and captain of militia, and for a time 
justice of the peace. 

In 1839, Mr. Tuttle married Hannah Elkins, daughter of 
Jasper Elkins, of Thornton. Mrs. Tuttle had been a teacher 
of twenty terms' experience. 

Charles N. Tuttle, the son of Simon Tuttle and Sally 
D. Sargent, was born in Franconia, September 8, 1818. 
In the course of his life he has resided in Lincoln, Lisbon, 
Manchester, and Hopkinton. His present home is in Con- 
toocook. He is a farmer and wood-machinist. He was 
town-clerk of Lisbon three or four years, and assistant post- 
master two or three. He was two years an ensign of 
militia in Lincoln. 

In 1841, he married Mary J. Barnard, daughter of Joseph 
Barnard and Miriam J. Eastman, of Hopkinton. They 
have one son, — Jacob S. 

Cyril C. Tyler, many years a popular physician in 
Hopkinton, was born in Thetford, Vt., December 31, 1803, 
being a son of Jeremiah Tyler and Irene Heaton. Jere- 
miah Tyler was a farmer, and the subject of this sketch, 
having obtained a competent education, decided upon the 




Dr. Cyril C. Tyler. 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 485 

profession of medicine and entered the office of Dr. Muzzey. 
His first and only professional location was in Hopkinton, 
where he came about the year 1823, always residing in the 
village. In 1849, he received the degree of Doctor of 
Medicine from Dartmouth college. 

In 1831, May 29, Dr. Tyler married Sarah Putnam, daugh- 
ter of Dr. Aaron Putnam, of Boston, Mass. They had two 
daughters, — Isabel Putnam and Sarah Hall. Dr. Tyler 
died May 27, 1865 ; Mrs. Tyler, April 15, 1880. 

Lucius H. Tyler, the son of Simeon Tyler and Hannah 
Rowell, was born in Hopkinton, November 19, 1817, and 
has always lived in this town. He is a farmer. 

In 1852, May 10, he married Sarah (Hall) Amesden, of 
Hopkinton, by whom he had children, — Mary J., Clara A., 
Bertha S. In 1883, June 26, he married Frances Eaton, of 
Warner. 

Lucius H. Tyler is a grandson of Adonijah Tyler, the 
ancestor of numerous Tylers, of Hopkinton, and who came 
to this town from Henniker and settled in the present Tyler 
district about 1772. He had nine children, among whom 
were the names James, Jeremiah, Simeon, Moses, Phineas, 
Rachel, Miriam, Sarah. 

Augustus B. Wadsworth, the son of Burton Wads- 
worth and Sophia Gove, was born in Hopkinton, July 22, 
1834. In early life, he attended Henniker and Andover 
academies. In the course of his life, he resided in Henni- 
ker, Lowell, Mass., Toronto, Can., Concord, Pittsfield, and 
Warner, returning to Contoocook in 1876. He was a 
machinist by trade, and after his return to this town was in 
business in Contoocook, a part of the time in company with 
Isaiah S. Livingston. Mr. Wadsworth was representative 
of Hopkinton in 1883. 

In 1869, May 13, Mr. Wadsworth married Mary E. 
Davis, daughter of Nathaniel A. Davis, and Mary Clough, 
of Warner. They had one child, — Nathaniel B. 

Mr. Wadsworth died March 25, 1886. 

Willard E. Waterbury, the son of Isaac H. Water- 
bury and Elizabeth M. Miller, was born in Hastings, 
Oswego county, N. Y., March 7, 1858. He was educated 
at Syracuse, Elbridge, and Rochester, all in his native state. 



486 LIFE AND TIMES LN HOPKINTON. 

He resided in Hastings, N. Y., till 1882 ; in Concord, till 
1884; in Hopkinton, till 1887; since 1887, he has resided 
in Springfield, Mass. He is a clergyman. He was ordained 
pastor of the Baptist church, Hopkinton, February 27, 
1884, and dismissed May 1, 1887. During his Hopkinton 
pastorate, important improvements were made upon the 
church edifice. 

In 1881, November 23, Willard E. Waterbury married 
Nellie G. Sprague, daughter of George W. Sprague and 
Nellie Wilkinson, of Rochester, N. Y. They have chil- 
dren, — Clair Morrill, Etta Grace, Mabel. 

William Way, the son of Samuel H. Orclway and Mary 
Peters, was born in Hopkinton, March 25, 1794. In 
maturer life, he applied to the state legislature and secured 
the change of his surname from Ordway to Way. He was 
a farmer and lived nearly or all of his life at Contoocook. 
In 1860, he was a selectman. 

In 1820, July 12, he married Martha Piper, daughter of 
Nathan Piper and Hannah Stockbridge, of Hopkinton. 
They had children,— Timothy E., born May 16, 1821; 
Martha L., born February 22, 1825. Mr. Way married for 
a second wife Betsey Stockbridge, daughter of John Stock- 
bridge and Sarah Lear, of Hopkinton, on December 19, 
1825. They had children,— Mary N., born May 18, 1827 ; 
Celia P., born April 27, 1836 ; Sarah E., born September 
29, 1841. 

Mr. Way died October 18, 1865. 

Isaiah Webbee, the son of Richard Webber, was born 
in Hopkinton, September 26, 1789, and always resided here.. 
His home was where Albert Danforth now lives, in the 
valley between Beech hill and Putney's hill. Mr. Webber 
was a farmer and lumberman who showed a special aptitude 
for the cultivation of music. When about fourteen years 
old, he attended a singing-school. The teacher was Dea. 
Isaac Long. Subsequently, Isaiah attended a singing- 
school taught by his uncle, Jerry W. Webber, on Beech 
hill. Probably enjoying other musical instruction, Isaiah 
Webber began teachiug vocal music. This was about 1820. 
His first school was on Sargent road, now known as. 
South road. He subsequently taught in various districts 
and localities in Hopkinton, and once taught in West Con- 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 487 

cord. He had various calls from other towns, but a farm 
and a saw-mill at home engrossed too much attention to 
allow responses. About 1824, Mr. Webber was chosen 
chorister of the Congregational church. The choir was 
large and talented, but the poverty of tunes suited to the 
varieties of hymns was a great obstruction to musical 
progress. Mr. Webber was sometimes obliged to rise in 
meeting and inform the minister that there was no tune 
suitable to the selected hymn. To overcome the difficulties 
of the situation, Mr. Webber began the practice of com- 
posing original tunes. His first tune was in short metre, 
for the hymn beginning, " O, when shall Zion rise ?" The 
tune was commended by good judges, and at length Mr. 
Webber's musical compositions found a place in the " New 
Hampshire Collections" of church music. Mr. Webber's 
taste was not wholly confined to church music. Venturing 
into the realm of martial music, he composed " Governor 
Harvey's March," in honor of the supreme executive of 
the state in 1830. This march was played to a consid- 
erable extent by military bands of this vicinity. Mr. 
Webber continued to compose church tunes and anthems, 
military marches, etc., nearly as long as he lived, his latest 
efforts being upon strips of wood, failing eyesight forbid- 
ding the common materials. He was a performer upon the 
violoncello, bassoon, flute, and clarinet in his meridian days. 
In 1814, Mr. Webber married Hannah Davis, a native of 
Newbury, Mass. She died in February, 1878. Mr. Web- 
ber died August 24, 1881. Isaiah J. Webber and Mrs. 
John Patch are children of Isaiah and Hannah Webber. 

Seth Webber, the son of Seth Webber and Mary 
Thorndike, was born in Beverly, Mass., January 22, 1810. 
He has lived in Hopkinton seventy-seven years, being a 
carpenter by trade since manhood and many years an under- 
taker. Mr. Webber has provided for the interment of 
thousands of persons in this town and vicinity. 

In 1834, September 12, Mr. Webber married Rebecca S. 
Webber, daughter of William Webber and Rachel P. Bailey, 
of Hopkinton. They have one daughter, — Ann T. 

In early life, the subject of this sketch was a militia 
drummer, and also a performer upon orchestral instruments. 
He was at one time performer upon the base viol and vio- 
loncello at church. 



488 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Jeremiah S. Webber, the son of Jeremiah Webber and 
Lydia Flanders, was born in Boscawen, March 28, 1819. 
Since 1864, he has lived in Hopkinton. His present resi- 
dence is in Contoocook. He is a farmer. He was com- 
missioned ensign of Boscawen Light Infantry in 1842 ; he 
was afterwards two years a captain. In 1859, he was a 
selectman. Webster having been organized as a township, 
being originally a part of Boscawen, Mr. Webber was made 
a selectman of the new town in 1860 and 1861. In 1862 
and 1863, he represented Webster at the General Court. 

In 1838, December 29, Mr. Webber married Roxana D. 
Towne, daughter of Rodney Towne and Hannah Ordway. 
The}*" have one son, — Cyril T. 

Cyril T. Webber, the son of Jeremiah S. Webber and 
Roxana D. Towne, was born in Boscawen (now Webster), 
April 12, 1841. When about twenty-two years old, he 
came to Hopkinton, where he has resided since, with the 
exception of two years in Henniker. His present home is 
in Contoocook. Mr. Webber is a master of a railroad sec- 
tion, and prominent in local musical circles. He has been 
many years leader of the Contoocook Cornet Band. 

In 1863, April 14, Cyril T. Webber married Jennette N. 
Jeffers, daughter of Jacob K. Jeffers and Katharine Kemp- 
ton, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Lerman S., Gil- 
bert D., Florence. 

William Weeks, the son of William and Eleanor Weeks, 
was born in Greenland, April 23, 1755. He was educated 
at Harvard college, and resided at Greenland till about 
1792, when he moved to Hopkinton, building while in Hop- 
kinton the house at Farrington's Corner now occupied by 
Mrs. Fitz. He was a soldier of the Revolution, who entered 
the service as a quartermaster, and left it a major. During 
a portion of his service he was an aid-de-camp to General 
Washington. In civil life, Major Weeks was a merchant 
and farmer. 

In 1780, October 5, William Weeks married Abigail 
Rogers. His second wife was Sarah Cotta Cotton, daugh- 
ter of Dr. Ichabod Weeks, of Greenland. 

There were thirteen children of Major William Weeks, — 
William, born August 21, 1781 ; George, born November 1, 
1782; Charles, born, October 26, 1790; Abigail Rogers, 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 489 

born July 15, 1792 ; Mary, born November 1, 1794 ; Jacob, 
born November 9, 1796; Washington, born February 14, 
1799 ; Thomas Jefferson, born May 31, 1801 ; Sarah Ann, 
born July 14, 1803 ; Susan, born July 23, 1807 ; Hannah, 
born Julv 19, 1810 ; Emily, born September 2, 1815 ; John, 
born March 26, 1819. 

Major Weeks died January 14, 1843. His second wife 
died July 3, 1863, aged 91 years, 9 months, and 21 days. 

Thomas Jefferson Weeks, the son of William and 
Sarah Cotta Cotton Weeks, was born in Hopkinton, May 
31, 1801, and has always resided in this town, being by 
occupation a farmer. He has been many years a deacon of 
the First Baptist church in Hopkinton. 

Thomas J. Weeks married Hannah Cogswell Smith, 
daughter of Isaac Smith and Abigail Cogswell. They had 
children, — Isaac Smith, Harriet Walker, Mary Ann, Louisa 
Cogswell, Lavina Patterson, Nathaniel Cogswell. 

Mrs. Weeks died March 2, 1882. 

N. Cogswell Weeks, the son of Thomas J. Weeks 
and Hannah C. Smith, was born in Hopkinton, July 26, 
1838. In early life, he attended Hopkinton academy. He 
is a mechanic and farmer. During the late war, he served 
in the 16th Regiment N. H. Vols., in Company D, being 
mustered in October 24, 1862, and mustered out August 
20, 1863. 

In 1864, May 17, Mr. Weeks married H. Jane Hubbard, 
daughter of Dudley C. Hubbard and Hannah T. Simpson, 
of Webster. They have children, — Licla M., Carrie E. 



SECTION XXVI. 

WELLS — YOUNG. 

Thomas Goodwin Wells, many years a well known 
physician of Hopkinton, was born in Lebanon, November 
17, 1779, being a son of Thomas Goodwin Wells and Eliza- 
beth Goodwin. The elder Wells was a farmer and weaver, 
like a number of his neighbors who came from Connecti- 
cut. When a young man, the subject of this sketch quitted 



490 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

the farm and read medicine with Dr. Phineas Parkhurst, of 
Lebanon, and subsequently attended medical and surgical 
lectures at Hanover. His first practice was in Sutton. In 
1807, he came to Hopkinton, locating on the place now 
occupied by Dea. David Tucker, in the west part of the 
town. Subsequently he moved to Boscawen, where he 
practised for a time, and then he returned and lived in 
various places in West Hopkinton, one of them being the 
Lazaro Currier spot, where he built the present house. 
Afterwards he spent a number of years in Contoocook, and 
finally moved to Hopkinton village, occupying the house 
that stood many years on the site of the present summer 
cottage of Horace G. Chase. Dr. Wells was considered a 
superior surgeon for his time. He sometimes received stu- 
dents of medicine into his office. One of his professional 
pupils was Dr. Moses Long, who practised ' in Concord, 
Goffstown, Enfield, Warner, and Rochester, N. Y. Another 
was Dr. Henry Lyman, who practised in Warner. While 
residing in Boscawen, Dr. Wells, being an intimate ac- 
quaintance of Daniel Webster, sometimes joined him in 
pleasure excursions. One day they went out hunting squir- 
rels with a man named Clark,, who wore a gray suit of 
clothes. Clark climbed a tree, and Mr. Webster, mistak- 
ing a portion of his gray clothing for the squirrel, fired, 
wounding him. The accident caused Mr. Webster much 
distress. His generosity caused him to make Clark a num- 
ber of presents ; and although Dr. Wells probably charged 
nothing for attending professionally to the wound, the 
cause of it gave him a keg of oj^sters, a rare treat for those 
times. 

In 1802, Thomas G. Wells married Lucinda Lyman, of 
Lebanon, daughter of Elias Lyman and Ruth Griswold. 
They had eight children, — Thomas Goodwin, born 1804, in 
Sutton ; Lucinda Lyman, born 1806, in Sutton ; Phineas 
Parkhurst, 1 808 ; Marcia Emeline, 1810 ; Edwin Ruthwin, 
1814; Ruth Lyman, 1816; Elias Lyman, 1818; Rodwell 
Emerson, 1820, — all born in Hopkinton. 

Dr. Wells died May 2, 1849 ; Mrs. Wells, April 7, 1860. 

Edwin R. Wells, the son of Dr. Thomas G. Wells and 
Lucinda Lyman, was born in Hopkinton, October 27, 
1814. In early life, he attended Hopkinton academy. He 
was many years a merchant, residing in Illinois from 1835 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 4!»1 

to 1840; in Pittsburgh, Pa., fn.m 1840 to 1850; in Cali- 
fornia, from 1850 to 1851 ; in Walpole, from 1851 to ls5l>: 
hi Dalton, Ga., from 1864 to 1881. In 1881, he returned 
to Hopkinton and pursued farming, building the house now 
occupied by Charles J. Conner. 
Mr. Wells died March 20, 1882. 

Thomas White, the son of Henry White and Sarah 
Dewey, was born in Gilsum, April 19, 1785. He resided 
in Gilsum till 1787; in Tunbridge, Vt., till 1805 ; in Livona, 
N. Y., till 1807; in Hopkinton till his death, March 17, 
1868. He was a cooper. He was one of the original mem- 
bers of the Freewill Baptist church, of Contoocook, being 
chosen deacon in 1820. lie was the first church clerk. He 
was many years a teacher of vocal music, and obtained, 
some local celebrity as a maker of musical instruments. 

In 1810, August 26, Mr. White married Sally Eaton, 
daughter of Maj. Nathaniel Eaton and Elizabeth Boen, of 
Hopkinton. She died in 1837, and, in 1838. Deacon White 
married Susan Cilley, of Andover, who died in 1865. There 
were four children of Thomas White, — Nathaniel, born 
January 9, 1813 ; Henry Dewey, born February 8, 1815; 
Thomas Eaton, born June 15, 1817 ; Anson, born April 28, 
1828. 

Henry Dewey White, the son of Thomas White and 
Sally Eaton, was born in Hopkinton, February 8, 1815. 
In youth, he attended Hopkinton academy. Since 1846, he 
has resided in Concord. He is a dentist. 

In 1841, December 5, Dr. White married Elizabeth ( lopps, 
daughter of Moses Copps and Mary George, of Hopkin- 
ton. They have had children, — Sarah Elizabeth, Helen 
Mary, Aurelia Frances, Julia Louisa. 

Jacob Whittier, the son of James Whittier and Hepsi- 
bah Hunt, was born in Hawke (now Danbury ). August 30, 
1819. After 1848, with the exception of one year in Con- 
cord, he lived in Hopkinton. He was a shoemaker and 
farmer. During the late war, he was a musician of Com- 
pany D, 16th Regiment N. H. Vols., being mustered in 
October 24, 1862, and mustered out August 18, 1863. He 
died August 18, 1863, in consequence of sickness incurred 



492 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPK1NTON. 

in the army. In militia days he was a captain of infantry 
two years. 

Jacob Whittier married Harriet Sanborn, daughter of 
Peter Sanborn and Lucinda Collins, of Danville. They had 
children, — Nahum M., Aurebia A., Charles E., Emma A., 
Leon D. 

Benjamin Wiggin, the most noted of the early taverners 
in Hopkinton, was a native of Stratham, who came to this 
town as early as 1774. Becoming a landlord, his old-fash- 
ioned swing sign bore the date of 1786. Mr. Wiggin was 
landlord, justice, merchant, and general public servant. He 
was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1776 and 1790, and mod- 
erator of town-meeting in 1802. He was liberally disposed. 
He gave the site of the Hopkinton court-house, where the 
town-house now stands. In times of scarcity, being pos- 
sessed of corn, he sold cheaply to his poorer neighbors and 
townsmen. Benjamin Wiggin lived in the house now stand- 
ing between the Episcopal church and the post-office in 
Hopkinton village. 

In the event of the Revolution, Mr. Wiggin sustained 
some odium on account of his supposed disinclination to the 
American cause. The result of this condition of things 
affected him after the war was over. In 1785, November 2, 
a remonstrance against his appointment as justice of the 
peace was signed by Peter How and 27 others. In 1786, 
January 24, a petition for his appointment was signed by 
William Morrison and 47 others ; a second, of the same 
date, was signed by John Tewksbury and 43 others ; a third, 
of the 14th of June, the same year, was signed by James 
Emerson and 32 others. These facts would seem to indi- 
cate that a majority of the people of Hopkinton believed in 
Mr. Wiggin's public loj^alty and integrity. 

Benjamin Wiggin was twice married. His first wife was 
Elizabeth Clement, She died May 24, 1782, aged 31. She 
resided in Hopkinton at the time of her marriage. Mr. 
Wiggin's second wife was Mrs. Sarah Holt, of Milford. 
She died October 31, 1824, aged 65. Benjamin Wiggin 
died October 31, 1822, aged 80. His children were, — Tim- 
othy, Benjamin, Mary, Ellen, Joseph, Elizabeth. The last 
two were twins, born in 1782. 

Jeremiah W. Wilson, many years a popular physician 
of Contoocook, was born in Salisbury, January 11, 1816, 



PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 493 

being a son of Dr. Job Wilson and Nancy Farnum. The 
subject of this sketch spent his earlier years in farming, but 
eventually attended school at the academy in Franklin. 
When about twenty years of age, he began the study of 
medicine under the tuition of his father. He attended 
medical lectures at Hanover, and finally graduated at 
Castleton, Vt., where he received his degree. Previously 
to graduating, he practised to a considerable extent with 
his father and brother, Dr. Ephraim Wilson. In January, 
1847, he came to Contoocook, where he has since resided, 
his practice extending to nearly every town in the immedi- 
ate vicinity. 

In 1845, Dr. Wilson was appointed surgeon of the 21st 
Regiment N. H. Militia. 

In 1847, March 31, Dr. Wilson married Elizabeth Gerrish, 
daughter of Dea. Thomas Gerrish and Betsey Gerrish. 
Three sons were the offspring of this marriage. Their 
names are, — Edwin C, Harlan P., and George H. 

Mrs. Wilson died November 8, 1882. 

Mary Woodwell, whose capture by the Indians in 
this town is narrated in Chapter X, Part I, of this work, 
was born in Hopkinton, Mass., April 30, 1730. In 1755, 
February 6, she married Jesse Corbett, of Uxbridge, Mass., 
by whom she had two sons, Josiah and Jesse, who were both 
born in this town. Jesse Corbett, her husband, was drowned, 
while attempting to swim the mouth of the Warner river, 
in 1759. His body floated down the Contoocook and Mer- 
rimack rivers to Dunstable, Mass., before it was recovered. 
In 1761, Mary Woodwell Corbett married Jeremiah Fowler, 
by whom she had five children, and who died not far from 
the year 1802. Mary Woodwell Corbett was at one time a 
member of the Congregational church in Hopkinton, the 
date of her admission being November 4, 1759. In later 
years, her mind experienced a change of religious views, and, 
after the death of her second husband, she joined the Shaker 
Community at Canterbury, where she died October 3, 1829, 
in the oue hundredth year of her age. Her son Josiah, with 
his family, joined the Shaker society at Enfield in 1792, and 
his son Thomas became a noted Shaker plrysician, the orig- 
inator of the famous Shaker Sarsaparilla, which bears his 
name. 



494 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Ebenezek Wyman, the son of Ebenezer Wyman, was 
born in Hillsborough, January 4, 1806. At the age of 9, he 
moved with his father to Deeriug. His early life was spent 
upon the farm, but he finally adopted trade, moving to 
Contoocook in 1831, doing busiuess there about 40 years. 
Much of the time in Contoocook, he conducted one or more 
branches of busiuess accessorily to trade, — coopering, lum- 
bering, shoemaking, manufacturing kits, etc., being in his 
line of industry. For many years his store stood on the 
corner now occupied by Bailey's block. Mr. Wyman was 
in trade a short time in Boston, Mass. At the time of his 
death, he owned several farms. 

Mr. "Wyman was thrice married. His first wife was Mary 
Sterns, of Amoskeag ; his second, Mrs. Hannah Courser, 
of Hopkinton ; his third, , of Henniker. 

Mr. Wyman died in Henniker, August 1, 1889, and his 
remains were interred in Contoocook. 

John Kimball Young, A. M., D. D., Congregationalist, 
son of Nathaniel Young and Betsey Kimball, was born in 
Dover, March 22, 1802. Preparatory studies at the Dover 
high school ; graduated at Dartmouth college in 1821 ; 
teacher in Dover academy and in Charleston, S. C, 1821- 
'27 ; graduated at Andover Theological Seminary in 1829 : 
ordained an evangelist by the Londonderry Presbytery at 
Boston, Mass., September 24, 1829 ; agent of the American 
Education Society, 1829-31 ; installed over the Congrega- 
tional church at Laconia, November 29, 1831 ; dismissed 
February 12, 1867 ; acting pastor at Hopkinton. from June, 
1867 to .November. 1874. Died at Laconia, January 28, 
1875. He was a corporate member of the American Board 
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 1842-'75; trustee 
of the New Hampshire Home Missionary Society, 1848-57, 
and 1861-73 ; trustee of Gilmanton academy and Theolog- 
ical Seminary : corresponding secretary of the New Hamp- 
shire General Association, 1851-56 ; moderator of the New 
Hampshire General Association, at Dover, 1866 ; member 
of New Hampshire Historical Society, 1849-75. Received 
his D. D. from Dartmouth college, 1859. 

He married Mary Willard, daughter of Ebenezer Smith, 
of Durham, March 19, 1833. Five children were born of 
this union, only one living to maturity. Mrs. Young died 
September 3, 1887. 



Part III. 



STATISTICAL AND DOCUMENTARY. 



STATISTICAL AND DOCUMENTARY. 



LEADING STATE OFFICERS RESIDENT IN HOPKINTON. 



1830 Matthew Havvey. 



Governor. 



Councillors. 
1875 Edward D. Buvnham. 1883 Grovenor A. Curtice. 



Senators. 



1787 Joshua Bailey. 

1823 Thomas W. Colby. 

1825 Matthew Harvey. 

1826 " 
1827 

1828 Bodwell Emerson. 

1829 " 

1831 Nathaniel Knowlton. 



1832 Nathaniel Knowlton. 

1839 Abram Brown. 

1840 " " 
1843 Ebenezer Symmes. 

1861 John Burnham. 

1862 " " 

1881 Grovenor A. Curtice. 

1885 Walter S. Davis. 



Representatives. 



1784 Aaron Greeley. 1805 

1785 Benjamin B. Darling. 1806 

1786 Aaron Greeley. 1807 

1787 Joshua Bailey. 1808 

1788 Benjamin B.Darling. 1809 

1789 James Buswell. 1810 

1790 No election. 1811 

1791 Benjamin B. Darling. 1812 

1792 " " 1813 

1793 " " 1814 

1794 Thomas Bailey. 

1795 " " 1815 
1796 

1797 Timothy Darling. 1816 

1798 Thomas Bailey." 

1799 Timothy Darling. 1817 

1800 Philip Greeley. 

1801 " " 1818 

1802 Thomas Bailey. 

1803 Benjamin B. Darling. 1819 

1804 Philip Greeley. 

31 



Benjamin B. Darling. 



Bodwell Emerson. 



Matthew Harvey. 
Bodwell Emerson. 
Matthew Harvey. 

(1 u 

Bodwell Emerson. 
Matthew Harvey. 
Abram Brown. 
Matthew Harvey. 
Abram Brown. 
Matthew Harvey. 
Thomas W. Colby. 



498 



LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 



1820 Matthew Harvey. 


1847 John Burnham. 


Thomas W. Colby. 


John Page. 


1821 


1848 Benjamin Loveren. 


Nathaniel Knowlton. 


Stephen Sibley. 


1822 Thomas W. Colby. 


1849 Benjamin Loveren. 


Abram Brown 


Stephen Sibley. 


1823 Thomas W. Colby. 


1850 Horace C. Stanley. 


Abram Brown. 


Francis P. Knowlton. 


1824 Charles Chase. 


1851 Joseph Dow. 


Nathaniel Knowlton. 


Jacob K. Clarke. 


1825 Charles Chase. 


1852 Horace C. Stanley. 


Nathaniel Knowlton. 


Francis P. Knowlton. 


1826 Bodwell Emerson. 


1853 Jacob K. Clarke. 


Abram Brown. 


Joseph Dow. 


1827 Stephen Darling. 


1854 Isaac D. Merrill. 


Nathaniel Knowlton. 


1855 Timothy Colby. 


1828. " " 


Paul R. George. 


Stephen Darling. 


1856 James K. Story. 


1829 Horace Chase. 


Isaac D. Merrill. 


Phineas Clough. 


1857 James K. Story. 


1830 " " 


Samuel L F. Simpson 


Nathaniel Curtis. 


1858 " " " 


1831 


Joseph Stanwood. 


Samuel Straw. 


1859 " " 


1832 Nathaniel Curtis. 


James M. Burnham. 


Samuel Straw. 


1860 Ira A. Putney. 


1833 James Huse. 


John M. Bailey. 


Stephen Darling. 


1861 No election. 


1834 James Huse. 


1862 Rufus P. Copps. 


Abram Brown. 


Enoch J. Chase. 


1835 


1863 Rufus P. Copps. 


Daniel Chase. 


Enoch J. Chase. 


1836 


1864 Ira A. Putney. 


Nathaniel Curtis. 


John M. Bailey. 


1837 " " 


1865 Horace Chase. 


Thomas Bailey. 


James M. Burnham. 


1838 " 


1866 John S. Kimball. 


Abraham Burnham. 


Joab N. Patterson. 


1839 Joseph Barnard. 


1867 John S. Kimball. 


Joab Patterson. 


George Brown. 


1840 Joseph Barnard. 


186S " " 


Joab Patterson. 


Thomas B. Jones. 


1841 Robert Wilson. 


1869 


Josiah S. Knowlton. 


Reuben E. French. 


1842 Robert Wilson. 


1870 " " 


Josiah S Knowlton. 


Joseph Barnard. 


1843 No election. 


1871 


1844 Samuel Colby. 


Jeremiah S. Story. 


Moses Colby. 


1872 Jonathan M. Morrill. 


1845 David N. Patterson. 


Alfred N. Chandler. 


John Page. 


1873 Jonathan M. Morrill. 


1846 John Burnham. 


Alfred N. Chandler. 


David N. Patterson. 


1874 Edwin C. Bailey. 



COUNTY OFFICERS. 



499 



1874 John F. Currier. 1879 

1875 " " 1881 
Grovenor A. Curtice. 

1876 William H. Hardy. 1883 
Henry II. Crowell. 

1877 " " 1885 
Grovernor A. Curtice. 

1878 Walter S. Davis. 1887 
Edmund S. Straw. 

1879 (Chosen in November pre- 1889 

viously) Harvey Chase. 



Eli A. Boutwell. 
Herman W. Greene. 
William Montgomery. 
Augustus B. Wadsworth. 
John Stevens Kimball. 
Frank W. Morgan. 
Henry D. Dustin. 
John G. Brock way. 
Herbert C. Dustin. 
Herman W. Greene. 
Charles A. Morrill. 



County Officers. 

Solicitors. 



1808-1817 Baruch Chase. 
1817-1823 John Harris. 
187G-1881 Herman W. Greene. 



1857 Horace Edmunds. 



Commission > r. 
Registers. 



1871-1873 Harvey Campbell. 
1879-1881 John Stevens Kimball. 



Treasurer. 



1881-1883 John F. Jones. 



Judges of Probate. 

1812-1843 John Harris. 

1843-1855 Horace Chase. 

1855-1871 (Moving to Concord in 1856) Hamilton E. Perkins. 



500 



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514 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Supervisors of the Check-list. 

[Law of 1878.] 

1878 Grovenor A. Curtice, George K. Goodrich, Edward D. French. 
1880 Frank W. Morgan, William E. Mudgett, Edward D. French. 
1882 Frank I. Morrill, Eli A. Boutwell, Edward G. Eunnels. 
1884 Frank I. Morrill, Eli A. Boutwell, Edward G. Eunnels. 
1886 Frank I. Morrill, Eli A. Boutwell, Edward G. Runnels. 
1888 Eli A. Boutwell, Edward G. Runnels, Daniel F. Fisk. 

Post-Masters in Hopkinton. 

Hopkinton Village. 

1811-1825 John Harris. 1858-1871 Dyer H. Sanborn. 

1825-1829 George Harris. 1871-1882 David L. Gage. 

1829-1850 Horace Chase. 1882- Lewis D. Evans. 

1850-1858 Joseph Stanwood. 

Contoocook. 

1831-1840 Thomas Burnham. 1869-1871 Grovenor A. Curtice. 

1840-1844 Charles A. Savory. 1871-1872 Stillman C. Davis. 

1844-1849 Frank R. Fuller. 1872-1877 Joab Patterson. 

1849-1853 Hamilton E. Perkins. 1877-1885 Edgar W. Stevens. 

1853-1861 Isaac D. Merrill. 1885-1889 John A. Fuller. 

1861-1869 Ira Dimond. 1889- Amos H. Currier. 

West Hopkinton. 

1857-1859 Joseph P. Dow. 1874-1879 Henry E. Wheeler. 

1859-1867 James P. Sargent. 1879- Charles S. Rowell. 

1867-1874 Isaac Rowell. 



Militia Field and Staff Officers. 

[The following residents of Hopkinton were field and staff officers of 
the Fortieth Regiment. The dates represent the time of their commis- 
sions.] 

Colonels. 

Asa Kimball, 1830. Amos J. Simpson, 1847. 

William Colby, 1834. Rufus P. Copps, 1848. 

David M. Eaton, 1842. Charles C. Kimball, 1853. 

Hazen Kimball, 1843. 



MILITIA OFFICERS. 



515 



Lieutenant-Colonels. 



Asa Kimball, 
Tyler B. Hardy, 
Hazen Kimball, 
Amos J. Simpson, 



1828. Rufus P. Copps, 1847. 

1837. Charles F. Clough, 1850. 

1872. Charles C. Kimball, 1851. 

1846. Rufus B. Straw, 1853. 



Majors. 



Asa Kimball, 
Moses T. Kimball, 



1825. 

1841. 



Rufus P. Copps, 
Charles F. Clouch, 



1846. 
1849. 



A djutants. 



Isaac Story, 

William W. Estabrooks, 
Charles A. Farnum, 
Samuel Johnson, 
Rufus P. Copps, 



Joseph Stan-wood, 
Robert Molineaux, 
"William W. Estabrooks, 
Charles A. Farnum, 



Horace Stanley, 
Jeremiah S. Story, 
Phineas Clough, 2d, 



1831. 
1832. 
1836. 
1837. 
1845. 


George Brown, 
Charles Gould, 
John M. Kimball, 
Charles C. Kimball, 
Isaac D. Merrill, 


1847, 
1848 
1S49, 
1850 
1852 


Quartermasters. 




1829. 
1830. 
1831. 
1834. 


Joseph Barnard, 
Richard F. Morgan, 
Isaac D. Merrill, 
Samuel Johnson, 


1839. 
1842, 
1844 

1846 


Paymasters. 




1830. 
1843. 
1844. 


Charles Gould, 
James Kezar, 


1845 
1850' 



James F. Sargent, 
Charles A. Savory, 



Surgeons. 

1836. James A. D. W. Gregg, 1843 
1838. Alexander Rogers, 1844' 



Cyril C. Tyler, 

James A. D. W. Gregg, 

Alexander Rogers, 



Surgeon's Mates. 

1832. Cyrus W. Fisk, 

1842. Samuel L. F. Simpson, 

1M3. 



1844. 
1850. 



Chaplains. 



Michael Carlton, 
Arthur Caverno, 



1825. 
1830. 



D. Sidney Frost, 
S. T. Catlin, 



1842. 
1849. 



516 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Members of State Constitutional Conventions. 

1778 Stephen Harrinian. 1876 John M. Harvey. 
1781 Joshua Bailey. John F. Jones. 

1791 Aaron Greeley. 1889 Joseph Barnard. 
1850 Phineas Clough. Walter S. Davis. 

John Burnham. 

The Census of Hoj)linton at Different Times. 

1767 473 1820 2,437 

1773 943 1830 2,474 

1775 1,085 1840 2,455 

1783 1,488 1850 2,169 

1786 1,537 1860 2,178 

1790 1,715 1870 1,814 

1800 2,015 1880 1,836 

1810 2,216 



GOVERNOR'S VOTE IN HOPKINTON. 

(Under the constitution of 1784, the chief magistrate of New Hamp- 
shire was president ; under the constitution of 1792, he became gov- 
ernor.) 

1784 Josiah Bartlett, 56 ; Timothy Walker, 2. 

1785 John Langdon, 89 ; Timothy Walker, 1. 

1786 John Langdon, 133. 

1787 John Langdon, 160; John Sullivan, 1. 

1788 John Langdon, 101. 

1789 John Pickering, 65 ; Timothy Walker, 8. 

1790 John Pickering, 63; Timothy Walker, 31. 

1791 Josiah Bartlett, 128. 

1792 Josiah Bartlett, 142. 

1793 Josiah Bartlett, 127 ; John Langdon, 1. 

1794 Timothy Walker, 150. 

1795 John T. Oilman, 71. 

1796 John T. Gilman, 3 ; Timothy Walker, 125. 

1797 John T. Gilman, 51 ; Oliver Peabody, 40. 

1798 John T. Gilman, 6; Timothy Walker, 132; Timothy Farrah, 

2 ; Oliver Peabody, 2 ; John Goddard, 3. 

1799 John T. Gilman, 111 ; Timothy Walker, 14. 

1800 John T. Gilman, 92 ; Timothy Walker, 115. 

1801 John T. Gilman, 111; Timothy Walker, 86. 

1802 John T. Gilman, 119; John Langdon, 103. 

1803 John T. Gilman, 123; John Langdon, 188. 

1804 John T. Gilman, 137 ; John Langdon, 156. 

1805 John Langdon, 192 ; John T. Gilman, 115. 

1806 John Langdon, 178; Oliver Peabody, 1; Timothy Farrah, 62; 

B. Chase, 1. 

1807 John Langdon, 163 ; John T. Gilman, 1 ; Oliver Peabody, 1. 

1808 John Langdon, 129; Oliver Peabody, 1 ; Baruch Chase, 1. 



governor's vote. 517 

1809 John Langdon, 194; Jeremiah Smith, 136. 

1810 Jeremiah Smith, 114; John Langdon, 197; Baruch Chase, 1. 

1811 John Langdon, 213; Jeremiah Smith, 102; Joshua Darling, 

■2: Nathaniel BodwelL Jr., 1. 

1812 William Plnmer, L92; John 'I'. Gilman, 108. 
1818 William Plumer, 220; John T. Gilman, 152. 

1814 William Plumer, 238; John T. Cilman, 158. 

1815 William Plumer, •-':'>•_': John T. Gilman, 152. 

1816 William Plumer, 252; James Sheafe, 145. 

1817 William Plumer, 238 ; James Sheafe, 115 ; Jeremiah Mason, 4. 

1818 William Plumer. 2:51; William Bale, 88; Jeremiah Mason, 2. 

1819 Samuel Bell, 7:'.; William Hair. 78; Michael MeClary, 81; 

David L. Morril, 6; Jonathan Harvey, 8; William Plumer, 3; 
Arthur Livermore, 2. 

1820 Samuel Bell, 177 ; John Harris, 2 ; John Bell, 3 ; Aaron Bus- 

well, 1; Jonathan Harvey, :'. ; Moses Bailey, 1; Jacob Rogers, 
1 ; A. Silver, 1 ; David L. Morril, 1. 

1821 Samuel Bell, 144; Jonathan Harvey, 8; Nathaniel Curtis, 1; 

Nathaniel Knowlton, l ; Josiah Jewett, '■'>: Thomas W. Colby, 1. 

1822 Samuel Bell, 117 ; Jonathan Harvey. 11; David L. Morril, 10; 

John Harris, 1 : Jeremiah Mason, 1 ; James Sheafe, 1 ; Josiah 
Jewett, 1; Thomas T. Burnham, 1. 
1823. Levi Woodbury, 24 1 ; Samuel Dinsmore, 115; Jeremiah Mason, 

1 ; Timothy Darling, Jr., 1. 

1824 Levi Woodbury, 21; David L.Morril, 148; Jeremiah Smith, 105 

Jonathan Harvey, 12; Matthew Harvey, '■'> ; John Bell, 1. 

1825 David L. Morril, 227; John Greeley, 5; Thomas Williams, 4 

Levi Woodbury, 2; Benjamin Pierce, 1 ; Stephen Sibley, 1. 

1826 David L. Morril, 78; Benjamin Pierce, 208; William Little, 1 

Chase Sleeper, 1. 

1827 Benjamin Pierce, 206; Matthew Harvey, 58; David L. Morril, 

2 : Salma Hale, 1; Isaiah Webber, 1 ; Joseph Jewett, 1 ; Abraham 
1 (avis, 1. 

1828 Benjamin Pierce, 275; John Hell, His. 

1829 Benjamin Pierce, 309; John Bell. 138; Moses Hoyt, 2 ; Matthew 

Harvey, 1. 

1830 Matthew Harvey, 301 ; Timothy Upham, 115. 

1831 Samuel Dinsmore, 255; Ichabod Barfclett, 133. 

1832 Samuel Dinsmore, i_'7o ; [chabod Bartlett, 101; Horace Chase, 1. 

1833 Samuel Dinsmore, 285; Arthur Livermore, 49; William Web- 

ber, 1. 

1834 William Badger, 277; Jonathan Harvey, 1 ; Asa Kimball, 3. 

1835 William Badger, 254; Joseph Healey, 97; Arthur Livermore, 1; 

Samuel Folsom, 1; George W. Morse, 1; Reuben Austin, 1 ; 
Josliua T. Tufts, 1. 

1836 Isaac Hiil, 248: John Cage, 1; William Straw, Jr., 2; Joseph 

Healey, 1; Ralph ('. Ordway. 1. 

1837 Isaac Hill, 234; Joseph Healey, 7; William Perry, 1 ; James B. 

Kelley, 1; Samuel II. Train, 1; Daniel Flanders, 1 ; Ralph C. 
Ordway, 1 ; Seth Tuttle, 1. 

1838 Isaac HOI, 296; James Wilson, Jr., 189; George Kent, 1; Elipha- 

let Holmes, 1. 

1839 John Page, 312 ; James Wilson, 174. 



518 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

1840 John Page, 292 ; Enos Stevens, 124 ; George Kent, 2 ; Stephen 

Sibley, 1 ; Ezekiel Dow, 3. 

1841 John Page, 284 ; Enos Stevens, 145 ; Daniel Hoyt, 4 ; Ezekiel 

Dow, 1. 

1842 Henry Hubbard, 253 ; John H. White, 67 ; Enos Stevens, 94 

Daniel Hoyt, 13; Mary Knowlton, 1. 

1843 Henry Hubbard, 224; John H. White, 74 ; Anthony Colby, 94 

John Hoyt, 1 ; Franklin Pierce, 1 ; Daniel Hoyt, 1. 

1844 John H. Steele, 239 ; John H. White, 41 ; Anthony Colby, 83 

Daniel Hoit, 69; Franklin Pierce, 1. 

1845 John H. Steele, 186 : Anthony Colby, 113 ; Daniel Hoyt, 67 ; John 

H. White, 15; John L. White, 1 ; Joshua Morse, 1. 

1846 Jared W. Williams, 245 ; Anthony Colby, 78 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 

134; James Hoyt, 1; John H. White, 1. 

1847 Jared W. Williams, 275 ; Anthony Colby, 116 ; Nathaniel S. 

Berry, 82. 

1848 Jared W. Williams, 284 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 156 ; Anthony 

Colby, 3 ; James Hoyt, 1. 

1849 Samuel Dinsmore, 248 ; Levi Chamberlin, 76 ; Nathaniel S. 

Berry, 66. 

1850 Samuel Dinsmore, 253 ; Levi Chamberlin, 72 ; Nathaniel S. 

Berry, 62 ; John Currier, 1. 

1851 Samuel Dinsmore, 235; Thomas E. Sawyer, 95; John Atwood, 

149. 

1852 Noah Martin, 265; Thomas E. Sawyer, 105; John Atwood, 90. 

1853 Noah Martin, 250 ; James Bell, 79 ; John H. White, 56 ; Joshua 

Morse, 4; Isaac Story, 1 ; Thomas Sawyer, 1 ; Oah Martin, 1. 

1854 Nathaniel B. Baker, 262; James Bell, 83; Jared Perkins, 81. 

1855 Nathaniel B. Baker, 248 ; James Bell, 29 ; Ralph Metcalf, 219; 

Asa Fowler, 7. 

1856 John S. Wells, 258; Ralph Metcalf, 246 ; Ichabod Goodwin, 15. 

1857 John S. Wells, 295; William Haile, 267. 

1858 Asa P. Cate, 287 ; William Haile, 264. 

1859 Asa P. Cate, 297 ; Ichabod Goodwin, 254. 

1860 Asa P. Cate, 303 ; Ichabod Goodwin, 262. 

1861 George Stark, 278 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 241. 

1862 George Stark, 274 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 218 ; Paul J. Wheeler, 

19. 

1863 Ira A. Eastman, 174 ; Joseph A. Gilmore, 158 ; Walter Harri- 

man, 53. 

1864 Edward W. Harrington, 264 ; Joseph A. Gilmore, 245 ; Walter 

Harriman, 2. 

1865 Edward W. Harrington, 241 ; Frederick Smyth, 219. 

1866 John G. Sinclair, 240 ; Frederick Smyth, 238. 

1867 Walter Harriman, 240 ; John G. Sinclair, 230. 

1868 Walter Harriman, 260 ; John G. Sinclair, 242. 

1869 John Bedel, 229 ; Onslow Stearns, 256. 

1870 Onslow Stearns, 259 ; John Bedel, 173 ; Samuel Flint, 54. 

1871 James Pike, 247; James A. Weston, 231 ; Lemuel M. Cooper, 3. 

1872 Ezekiel A. Straw, 241 ; James A. Weston, 243 ; Lemuel P. 

Cooper, 2. 

1873 Samuel K. Mason, 9 ; Ezekiel A. Straw, 202 ; James A. Weston, 
- 239. 



THE ORTHODOX FAITH. 519 

1874 Luther McCutchins, 230 ; James A. Weston, 237. 
L876 Person C. Cheney, 255; Hiram El. Roberts, 241. 

1876 Daniel Marcy, 256; Person ('.Cheney, 252; Asa S. Kendell, 1; 

Asa. Fowler, 1. 

1877 Daniel Marcy, 213; Benjamin F. Prescott, 261. 

1878 Frank A. McKean, 212; Benjamin F. Prescott, 250. 

1879 Natt Head, 2:',:\ ■ Frank A. AJeKean, l'.H ; Warren (i. Brown, ID; 

Charles II. Bell, 2. 
1881 Charles II. Bell, 285; Frank Jones, 240. 
1883 Samuel W. Hale, •_' i:»; Marl in V. I'.. Edgerly, 218; Josiah M. 

Fletcher, :). 
1885 Moody Currier, 267 ; John M. Hill, 221; Larkin D.Mason, 12; 

( l-eorge ( larpenter, 2. 
1887 Charles II. Sawyer, 250; Thomas Cogswell, 213; Joseph Went- 

worth, 7. 
1889 David II. Goodell, 270; Charles II. Amsden, 219 ; Edgar L. 

Carr, 4. 



The Orthodox Faith. 

(The following is the expression of the orthodox faith, as defined 
by the Congregational church, organized in 1757, and which the 
settlers of Hopkinton were legally bound to support. ) 

I. We believe that there is but one God, the Creator, Preserver, 
and moral Governor of the universe ; a being of infinite power, 
knowledge, wisdom, justice, goodness, and truth, the self-existent, 
independent, and immutable fountain of good. 

II. We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 
ment were given by inspiration of Clod ; that they are profitable for 
doctrine, for correction, for reproof, and for instruction in righteous- 
ness ; and that they are our only, rule of doctrinal belief and relig- 
ious practice. 

III. We believe that the mode of divine existence is such as 
lays a foundation for a distinction into three persons, the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; and that these three are one in 
essence, and equal in power and glory. 

IV. We helieve that God has made all things for himself ; that 
known unto him are all his works from the beginning; and that he 
governs all things according to the counsel of his own will. 

V. We believe that the divine law and the principles and admin- 
istration of the divine government are perfectly holy, just, arid 
good ; and that all rational beings are bound to approve of them as 
such. 

VI. We believe that God at first created man in bis own image, 
in a state of rectitude and holiness, and that he fell from the state 
by transgressing the divine command in the article of forbidden 
fruit. 

VII. We believe that in consequence of the first apostasy, the 
heart of man in his natural state is destitute of all holiness, and in a 



520 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

state of positive disaffection with the law, character, and govern- 
ment of God ; and that all men previous to regeneration are dead 
in trespasses and sins. 

VIII. We believe that Christ, the Son of God, has, by his obedi- 
ence, sufferings, and death, made atonement for sin ; that he is tbe 
only Redeemer of sinners ; and that all who are saved will be 
altogether indebted to the grace and mercy of God for their salva- 
tion. 

IX. We believe that although tbe invitation of the Gospel is such 
that whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely, 
yet the depravity of the human heart is such that no man will 
come to Christ except the Father, by the special and efficacious in- 
fluences of his Spirit, draw him. 

X. We believe that those who embrace the Gospel were chosen 
in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they should be 
holy and without blame before him in love ; and that they are saved, 
not by works of righteousness which they have done, but according 
to the distinguishing mercy of God through sanctification of the 
spirit and belief of the truth. 

XI. We believe that those who cordially embrace Christ, 
although they may be left to fall into sin, will never be left finally 
to fall away and perish, but will be kept by the mighty power of 
God through faith unto salvation. 

XII. We believe that there will be a general resurrection of the 
bodies both of the just and unjust. 

XIII. We believe that all mankind must one day stand before 
the judgment-seat of Christ, to receive a just and final sentence of 
retribution according to the deeds done in the body ; and that, at 
the day of judgment, the state of all will be unalterably fixed ; 
and that the punishment of the wicked and the happiness of the 
righteous will be endless. 

XIV. We believe that Christ has a visible church in the world, 
into which none in the sight of God but real believers, and none in 
the sight of men but visible believers, have right of admission. 

XV. We believe that the sacraments of the New Testament are 
Baptism and the Lord's Supper ; that believers in regular church 
standing only can consistently partake of the Lord's Supper ; and 
that visible believers and their households only can consistently be 
admitted to the ordinance of Baptism. 



Early Members of the Church. 

(The Congregational church in Hopkinton was legallv the town 
church till 1819.) 

Members from 1757 to 1773. 

James Scales, David Woodwell, Aaron Kimball, Jonathan Straw, 
William Peters, Joseph Eastman, jun., Peter How, Abraham Colebe, 



EARLY MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH. 521 

V 

Matthew Stanley, Enoch Eastman, Caleb Burbank, Susanna Scales, 
Mary Woodwell, Mary Straw, Hannah Peters, .Alary Stanley. Elizabeth 
How, Stephen Iloyt, Lydia Ordway, Lydia Burbank, Abigail Eastman, 
Mehitable Ordway, Elizabeth Eastman, Abigail lloyt, Betty Colebe, 
Rebecca Eastman, Susanna Kimball, Phebe Colebe, Ruth Burbank, 
Elizabeth Eastman, .John Burbank, Rebecca Burbank, Stephen Scales, 
Hannah Annis, Jotham How, Mary How, John Ordway. Mary Car- 
butt, Jeremiah Kimball, Elizabeth Kimball, Abigail Kimball, Elizabeth 
Straw, Martha Straw, John Gage, Elizabeth Gage, Zebadiah Watson, 
Mary Watson, Eunice Watson, Thomas Wortley, Abel Kimball, Han- 
nah Colebe, Tabitha Gould, Pelatiah Watson, Sarah Watson, Jeremiah 
Fowler, Timothy Kimball, Mary Kimball, Moses Gould, Anna Gould, 
Peter Sargent, Ruth Sargent, Moses Straw , Richard Merrill, Joanna 
Merrill, Abraham Kimball, Phebe Kimball, Greene French, Elizabeth 
French, Judith Pressy. Nathan Gould, Ruth Stanley, Samuel Iloit, 
Joanna Iloit, Sargent Currier, Sarah Currier, Ezra Hoyt, Judith lloyt, 
George Page, Nathan Sargent, Jemima Sargent, Josiah Ward, Martha 
Smith, Dorothy Smith, Deborah Duty, Moses Hills, Hannah Hills, 
James Smith, John Jewett, jun., Abner Gourdon, Elizabeth Gourdon, 
Eliphalet Colby, Mary Colby. 

Members from 1773 to 1789. 

Elijah Fletcher, Timothy Clement, Hannah Clement, Abigail Fel- 
lows, Joseph Hovey, Abigail Hovey, Elizabeth Bachelder. Abigail 
Harris, Abigail Kimball, Elizabeth Sargent. Mary Colebe, 1 Aaron Kim- 
ball, Susanna Conner, John Darling, Hannah Darling, Mary Tyler, 
Adonijah Tyler, Judith Silver, Benjamin Jewett. Mrs. Jewett, Rachel 
Webber, Jemima Smith, Benjamin Holmes, Mary Holmes, Lydia 
Holmes, Judith Eastman, Enoch Long, Abigail Long, Mary Bailey, 
Humphrey Bailey. Hannah Bailey. Jemima Currier. John Currier, 
Lydia Davis, Nabby Sargent, Mary Hammond. Rebecca Morse, John 
Morse, Rebecca Fletcher, Abigail Cross, Elizabeth Straw, Sarah Story, 
Abigail Straw, Jonathan Allen, Sarah Allen. 

Members from 1789 to 1791. 

Jacob Cram, Anna Nichols, John Boynton, Sarah Colby, Samuel 
Farrington, Marion Farrington, Enoch Long, jun., Mary Flandersf 
Jonathan Herrick, Rachel Herrick, Ruth Gage, Juda Kimball, Thornas 
story, Ephraim Colby, Mary Colby, Caesar Webber, David Long, Mary 
Long, Hannah Long, Dille Clement. Abigail French. Hannah Hoit, 
Lois Howe, Tamison Eastman, Sarah Fisk, Ezekiel Dimond, Micah 
Flanders, Lucy Eastman, Jemima Jewett, Abigail Colby, Caty Jewett, 
Isaac Cheeney, Abiah Cheeney. 

Members from 1792 to 1799. 

y 

Jeremiah Story, John Hoyt, jr., Betty Hoyt, Hannah Colby, Susanna 
Cheeney, Daniel Allen, Elisha Allen, Benjamin Sleeper, Hannah Sleeper, 
Hannah Sleeper, Reuben French, Enoch Hoyt, Stephen Sargent, dames 
Clement, Daniel Hale, jr., Daniel Young, Moses Hoyt, Moses Sargent, 
Moses Tenney, Nathaniel Colby, Caleb Gordon, Isaac Bailey, jr., Ben- 

>At this point occurs a name which is irrecoverable. 



522 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTCXN". 

jamin Swain, Sarah Swain, Isaac Bailey, Samuel Straw, 3d, Nathaniel 
Howe, Samuel Kimball, Stephen M. Bailey, James Davis, Joshua Cur- 
rier, Jotham Howe, jr., Alice Hoyt, Rachel Story, Joanna Tenney, 
Susanna Story, Betty Story, Hannah Stocker, Gertrude Gould, Anna 
Collins, Rhoda Howe, Lydia Burbank, Hannah Holmes, Lydia Holmes, 
Molly Bailey, Betty Straw, Abigail Bailey, Moses Smith, Sarah Smith, 
Francis Mitchell, Margaret Mitchell, John Dimond, Dorothy Runnels, 
Abagail Stickney, Abigail Dimond, Sarah Story. 

Members from 1800 to 1818. 

Bathsheba Smith, Sally French, Dolly Greeley, Polly Gage, Mrs. 
Flanders, Betty Tyler, Jonathan French, Sally French, Nathan 
Greeley, Sally Greeley, Rachel Bailey, John Webber, John Bailey, 
Peggy Bailey, Moses Story, Lydia Kimball, Andrew Sherburne, Eliza- 
beth Sherburne, Priscilla Kimball, Esther Bailey, Mrs. Gage, Jemima 
Trussel, Anthony Colby, Elizabeth Ober, Lydia Allen, Hannah Gage, 
Eleanor Allen, Priscilla Allen, Sally Towne, Mary Ladd, Patty Lee, 
Ephraim Fisk, Sarah Hall, Nathan Story, Mrs. Story, Nabby Colby, 
Joshua Bailey, David Merrill, Thomas Webber, Thirza Webber, Tim- 
othy Colby. Mary Colby, Sarah Sawyer, Richard Hall, jun., Nathan 
Kelley, Stephen Farrington, Polly Farrington, Benjamin Farrington, 
Mary Farrington, Olive Barnard, James B. Colby, John Gage, Mrs. 
Gage, Richard Kelley, Thomas Farwell, Eliza Eastman, Charlotte 
Straw, Betsey Proctor, Elizabeth Carr, Andrew W. Ober, Polly Ober, 
Asa Herrick, Anna Clement, Anna Proctor, Sally Herrick, Nancy 
Brown, Eleanor Howe, James Tuttle, Elizabeth Colby, Anstis Whit- 
ing, Rebecca Merrill, Elizabeth Hoyt, Hannah Colby, Betsey Herrick, 
Lucy Proctor, Jane Morse, Sally Ingalls, Sally Colby, Philip Greely, 
Dolly Greely, Moses Carr, Abigail Carr, Eliphalet Holmes, Nancy 
Holmes, Samuel Cilley, Molly Clement, Phebe Morse, Judith Story, 
Eunice Kelley, Martha Greeley, Hannah Story, Caleb Chase, Timothy 
Ladd, Martha Ladd, Samuel Bickford, Ruth Bickford, Ichabod Gould, 
Mehitable Gould, Grover Dodge, Lydia Hall, Phebe Eaton, Abiah Ten- 
ney, Sarah Burbank, Martha Greeley, Mary Crowell, Jemima Sargent, 
Tamar Woodward, Rhoda Tenney,Eleanor Story, Lydia Story, Jeremiah 
Webber, Richard Colby, John Allen, Sarah Farwell, Sarah Herrick, 
Betsey Patch, Sarah Eastman, Mary Herrick, Hannah Colby, Hannah 
Colby, Mary Carlton, Sarah Brown, Phebe Story, Susanna Merrill, Asen- 
ath Herrick, Joshua Clement, Enoch Howe, Lucy Long, Elizabeth Kel- 
ley, Hannah Chase, Mary Tenney, Lydia French, Enoch Long, 3d, 
Thomas Bailey, jun., Isaac Merrill, Lydia Webber, Catharine Bailey, 
Sarah Bailey, Isaiah Webber, Andrew Lydstone, Anna Hoyt, Anna Ten- 
ney, Philip Farrington, Mrs. Tuttle, Bethiah Jewett, Olive Lydstone, 
Sally Darling, Lydia Greeley, Joseph Towne, Margaret Towne, Hannah 
Chase, John Sleeper, Sarah Sleeper, Nancy Emerson, Anna Darling, 
Mary Webber, Daniel Allen, Nancy Allen, Isaac Long, Hannah Tyler, 
Sally Robinson, Dudley Trow, Maria Trow, Alvin Hastings, Daniel 
Morrill, Lydia Morrill, Martha Trow, Sarah G. Smith, Moses Sargent, 
jun., John S. Knowlton, Sally Williams, Abigail Bailey, Lettice Elliot, 
Hannah Smart, Betsey Smart, Anna Darling, Mary Knowlton, Sally 
S. Knowlton, Sally S. Trow, Luther J. Fitch, Thomas S. French, Sally 
Howe, Almira Silsby, Sally Danforth, Daniel J. Per ley, Abigail Til- 
comb, Lucy Patch, Lydia Morse, Isaac Proctor, Harriet T. Towne, 
Abigail Long, Edward Russel, Hannah Sargent. 



EBENEZER BLAISDELL's INDENTURE. 523 

Deacons of the Town Church. 

William Peters, 1759. Nathan Sargent, 1784. 

David Woodwell, 1760. Isaac Bailey, 1794. 

Matthew Stanley, 177:5. Jotham Howe, 1794. 

Abel Kimball, * 1773. Thomas Farwell, 1812. 





■ A Summ 


ARY 




he inventory of Hopkinton, and 


of industrial 


items, as comi 


he selectmen in 1889. 










Invento 


ry. 




Polls, 429, 






S12.900 


Land and buildings, 






694,446 


Horses, 399, 






28,794 


Oxen 187, 






8,736 


Cows, 1,083, 






26,868 


Neat stock, 509, 






7,734 


Sheep, 450, 






1,124 


Hogs, 34, 






344 


Carriages, 24, 






2,104 


Public funds, 






14,880 


Invested in state corpoi 


•ations, 




13,300 


Invested in other corpoi 


'ations, 




2,200 


Money at interest, 






53,952 


Stock in trade, 






14,900 


Mills, 






12,540 


Total, 


$924,822 


j 


Industrial Items. 




Butter, 






82,633 lbs. 


Cheese, 






1,730 lbs. 


Milk, sold, 






51,500 gals. 


Fertilizers, bought, 






44 tons. 


Wool, 






2,9li5 lbs. 


Ensilage, 






355 tons. 


Summer boarders, received of, 




$9,800 



Copy of Ebenezer Blasdel's Indenture. 

This Indenture made the Sixteenth Day of March one thousand 
Seven hundred & Sixty Nine Between William Parker, Esq 
Joseph Eastman & David Tilton Yeomen Selectmen of the East 
parish in Kingston in the Province of New Hampshire of the one 
Part and Joseph Barnard of Amesbury in the County of Essex & 
Province of the Massachusetts Bay Yeoman, of the other Part 
Witnessed that the said Selectmen by & with the assent of two of 
his Majesty's justices of the Peace for the Province of New Hamp- 
shire aforesaid whose names are hereunto written Have put out & 
Bound Ebenezer Blaisdell a poor child of the said East parish to 



52-4 LIFE AJSTD TIMES IK HOPKINTON. 

the said Joseph Barnard for & during the term of Thirteen Years 
from the Date hereof fully to be Compleat & Ended during 
which time the said Apprentice his said master faithfully shall 
serve, his Secrets keep his lawful Commands everywhere gladly do 
& in all things behave himself as a faithful Servant ought to do, 
at Cards & dice & other unlawful games he shall not play Tav- 
erns he sball not haunt, Fornication he shall not Commit nor 
Matrimony contract not absent himself from the Service of his said 
Master without his said Master's leave — And the said Joseph Bar- 
nard doth hereby covenant & engage for himself his Executors 
and administrators to & with the said Selectmen & their Succes- 
sors that he will teach & instruct the said apprentice the art or 
Science of a husbandman Avhich he now uses with all things belong- 
ing thereunto or cause him to be well & Sufficiently taught & 
instructed therein after the best way & manner he can — & will 
also learn him the said apprentice to read & write & cypher as 
far as is sufficient to keep such a tradesman's book of accoimts and 
that he will also find & allow unto the said apprentice meat drink 
washing lodging & apparel & all other necessaries in Sickness 
& health & convenient for such an apprentice during the term 
aforesaid — and at the expiration of said Term shall & will give 
the Said apprentice one entire new Suit of apparel from head to 
foot inclusively (over & above his then clothing) as is suitable for 
such an apprentice. In Witness whereof the Said Parties have 
hereunto set their hands & Seals interchangeably the Day & 
year above written — 
Signed Sealed & Delivered 

In presence of us Wm. Parker, Jr. (L. S.) 

William Parsons Joseph Eastman (L. S.) 

Nathl. Bachellor David Tilton (L. S.) 

-p . „ > We the Subscribers two of his Majesty's Justices of 

„ tt r the Peace for said Province hereby attest our as- 

P ) sent to the within. 

Jeremy Webster ^ j p 
Josiah Bartlett ( 



The Will of John Jones. 
(Copy contributed by A. H. Fitch, Esq., of Hopkinton, Mass.) 

In the name of God. Amen, this twenty ninth day of October, 
Anno Domini, one thousand seven hundred seventy two, and in the 
thirteenth year of his Majesties Reign, &c. — 

I John Jones of Hopkinton, in the county of Middlesex & 
Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Esquire — 
being sound in my understanding and memory (praised be God 



THE WILL OF JOHN JONES. 525 

therefor) and calling to mind my fraility and mortality, do make 
and ordain this my last will and testament in manner following-, 
that is to say first of all I recommend my soul into the hands of 
God who gave it, and my body I commit to the earth to be buried 
in decent manner at the discretion of my Executor hereinafter 
named hoping thro the merits of Christ my dear saviour to obtain 
the pardon of all my sins & a glorious resurrection to eternal life. 
And touching such worldly Goods & Estate as it hath pleased 
God to bless me withal in this life, I give, demise, & dispose 
thereof in manner following — viz. 

Impr. I give & bequeath unto my well beloved wife Mary 
twenty six pounds, thirteen shillings & four pence, the one half 
part of said sum to be paid within six months & the other half 
part thereof to be paid within twelve months next after my decease, 
& also the sum six pounds thirteen shillings & four pence to 
be paid immediately after my decease and if not paid to be from 
that time on Interest. And also all the household goods she 
brought with her, agreeable to an Inventory with the settlement 
before marriage, and also a privilege in my dwelling house together 
with my Executor at the Cost of the Estate for Subsistence, and the 
use of my Horse and Chaise if she chooses to accept & improve it 
during her pleasure — 

Item I give & bequeath to my loving son Simpson Jones 
over and above what I have settled on him by Deed, my Negro 
Man named James, also one third part of my Oxen, Horses, & 
Steers, and Utensils for Husbandry ; also the Book called the 
Morning Exercise, and Law Book. And in case my said son 
Simpson survives his present wife, the above articles are bequeathed 
to him, his heirs & assigns forever, but in case his present wife 
survives they are bequeathed duly to him during his natural life 
& after his decease to the heirs of his body and to their heirs & 
assigns forever. I have bequeathed to my said son Simpson no 
part in my Will because I have lately paid him the sum of forty 
pounds lawful money — 

Item. I give and bequeath to my loving son John Jones and to 
his heirs & assigns forever over and above what I have settled on 
him by Deed one half part of my Grist Mill, & Saw-Mill with 
one half of the Pond, Stream & Damm & Utensils for each 
Mill, and one half of about three quarters of an acre of land includ- 
ing the Gravel-Pit and one half the old end of the dwelling house. 
Also my Negro Man named Tom. Also one third part of my 
Horses, Oxen, and Steers & utensils for Husbandry, and the 
whole of my Cyder Mill and Press. Also my silver hilted sword, 
& cane and surveying instruments, my silver Tankard Bible with 
annotations and the Law Book which he now has, also all my 
books of Record containing the conveyances of Hopkinton and. 
Upton Lease Lands, or Common Lands drawn in consequence of 



526 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

them, also the Proprietors Book of Records, and all the plans relat- 
ing to said Lands. 

Item. I give and bequeath to my loving son Anthony Jones & 
his heirs & assigns forever (over and above what I have settled on 
him by Deed one half part of my Grist-Mill & Saw-Mill, and one 
half part of the pond, stream, and damm & utensils for each mill, 
and one half of about three quarters of an acre of land including 
the Gravel Pit and the old end of the dwelling house, also one 
third part of my horses, oxen & steers & utensils for hus- 
bandry, also my Negro Boy Bacchus, also all my wearing apparel, 
my spout cup, looking glass, great chair and cane chairs in the 
West Room, also one great Bible & Mr. Willards Body of Divin- 
ity. 

Item. I give & bequeath to my grandson, Nathaniel Alden 
Jones all my lands in a place called New Hopkinton in the Province 
of New Hampshire to him, his heirs and assigns forever. 

Item. I give & bequeath to Grandsons John Jones & Isaac 
Jones in equal shares two thirds parts of the seventy five acre Lot 
lying between my own Land and the Lot that Hugh Black liv'd on, 
to them, their heirs & assigns forever. Also I give my Gun to my 
said Grandson John Jones — 

Item. I give & bequeath to my daughter, Anne Saltmarsh her 
heirs & assigns forever thirteen acres of land adjoining to the 
Land whereon she now lives to be valued as part of her portion 
at thirteen pounds, six shillings, and eight pence. — 

Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Hannah Homes her 
heirs & assigns forever fifty acres of land situate near the Land 
she with her husband now lives on, to be valued as part of her por- 
tion at thirty pounds. — 

Item I give & bequeath unto John, Isaac & Elizabeth Smith, 
the children of my daughter Abigal Cuzzens by her first hus- 
band Smith, & to their heirs and assigns thirty pounds to be 
equally divided among them, which thirty pounds thus given to 
said three children of my daughter Cuzzens is to be deemed and 
reckoned part of the portion and deducted therefrom. 

Item. I give & bequeath to my six daughters or their repre- 
sentatives, viz : to the heirs of Mary Robinson dec'd to the heirs of 
Elizabeth Learned dec'd & to Sarah Chapman, Anne Saltmarsh, 
Hannah Homes and Abigail Cuzzens, to each of them the sum of 
fifty pounds, to them, their heirs & assigns, to be paid by my 
Executor as soon as it can be raised out of the money due to me 
for the Lands which I have sold which were formerly Chapmans 
& Hawding's, which fifty pounds is to be over and above what I 
advanc'd to each of them — furniture &c — at marriage, but what 
they or their husbands otherwise owe me is to be esteem'd a part of 
said bequest & deducted therefrom. 

Item. It is my will & pleasure that all my Books, Plate, and 



THE WILL OF JOHN JONES. 527 

Negroes also my Stock of Cattle, and household Furniture not other- 
wise disposed of in this my last will be equally divided among my 
six daughters or their legal representatives in equal shares viz — 
Sarah Chapman, Anne Saltmarsh, Hannah Homes, & Abigail 
Cuzzens and the heirs of Elizabeth Learned, dec'd & to Mary 
Robinson dec'd them their heirs & assigns. But so that the 
Lands which I have herein given to my daughters Anne Saltmarsh, 
Hannah Homes and the children of Abigail Cuzzen by her first hus- 
band be accounted as part of the equal portion of my said daughters 

Sarah, Anne, Hannah, and Abigail & sums 

herein set down & also provided heirs of my 

daughters Robinson and Learned will my estate 

of a Legacy given to my said daughters by their Grandfather Simp- 
son & which I have paid but have lost or mislaid the Receipts 
otherwise to be excluded . . . the benefit of this Bequest. 

Item. It is my will and pleasure that all the remainder of my 
estate both real & personal, not disposed of in this . . . and 
testament, after paying my just debts & legal charges (and ex- 
cepting my rights in Cedar Swamp which are hereby given to my 
three sons in equal shares) be and hereby is given & bequeathed 
to my nine children or their legal representatives in nine equal 
shares or divisions viz : Simpson, John and Anthony, Mary and 
Elizabeth dec'd, Sarah, Anne, Hannah and Abigail, to them their 
heirs & assigns-^Provided nevertheless and it is my express will 
and pleasure that if any of my heirs Legatees herein named shall 
be disatisfied with my last Will, and shall bring any action or 
actions to put my Executor to Trouble or Expense that then, and in 
such case He or She shall be excluded from any benefit of what 
may be herein bequeathed to him or her. 

Item. Whereas, I have disposed of my Negro Slaves to and 
among my Children & Legatees as is before express'd in this my 
last will, and testament, it is my express Will & Pleasure that 
those to whom said Negroes are given shall maintain them in case 
of their being sick, unprofitable or burthensome otherwise my 
Executor hereafter named is directed and impowered to deduct so 
much out of the Legacies and Bequests herein given to such refus- 
ing and neglecting Legatees as shall be sufficient to secure to such 
infirm slaves a sufficient maintenance. 

Ult a I name, ordain, constitute & appoint my beloved & trustv 
son John Jones sole Executor of this my last Will and Testa- 
ment hereby revoking and making null and void all former Wills 
and Testaments by me at any time heretofore made — In witness 
whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day & date 
herein before written — 

Memorand 1 " It is my Will and Pleasure that whereas I have 
disposed of the greater part of my Lands to and amongst my three 
sons by Deeds of Gift by which they are to come into possession 



528 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

immediately after my decease, & whereas it may so happen that I 
may decease at a time when there is a crop on the Ground I there- 
fore or if it should so happen 

that said crops in the Barn, shall go & belong to 

those who occupied said Lands the preceding 

season by give & bequeath to my son John Jones 

of an acre of land in said Hopkinton lying on 

. Brook between the land of s'd John Jones and the . 

Clark Jun r . as the same is now bounded and fenc'd. 

John Jones. 

Signed, seal'd, published and declared as his last will and Testa- 
ment in presence of us who have subscribed our names in the Tes- 
tators presence 

Jno Wilson. Jesse Rice. Ezra Gleason. 
A true copy of the Original 
Attest 

Wm. Kneeland, Reg r . 



Copy of Deed of Negro Slave. 

Know all men by These Presents that I Ruth Currier Relict of 
John Currier late of Kingston in the state of New Hamp in New 
England Deceased for and in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty 
Seven pounds L M To me in hand before ye Delivery hereof Well 
and truly paid by Joseph Barnard of Hopkinton in the State of 
New Hampshire aforesaid The receipt whereof I do acknowledge 
Have Given granted Bargained and Sold and by these Presents Do 
give grant Bargain Sell Convey and Confirm unto the Said Joseph 
Barnard his heirs and assigns forever a Certain Negro man Named 
Seco aged about thirty six years of age Said Negro was given to 
me in the last Will & Testament of my late husband John Currier 
Late of Kingston deceased. 

To Have and to Hold the Said Negro to him the said Joseph 
Barnard his heirs and assigns to his & their only proper use Bene- 
fit forever and I the Said Ruth Currier for myself my heirs Execu- 
tors & Administrators do hereby Covenant Grant and agree to 
and with the said Joseph Barnard his heirs & assigns that until 
the Delivery hereof I am the lawful owner of the said Negro and 
am lawfully Seized and possessed of him in my own Right in Fee 
Simple and have full power and Lawful Authority to Grant & 
Convey him in manner aforesaid and yt I and my heirs Executors 
& Administrators shall and will warrant to said Negro to the said 
Barnard his heirs & assigns agt the lawful Claims & demands 
of any Person or Persons Whomsoever I Witness whereof I have 



THE PETITION OF ABEL ROWELL. 529 

hereunto set my hand & Seal this twenty ninth Day of March 
Annoque Domini 1777. 

her 
Signed Sealed ad Delivered • Ruth X Currier. 

mark 
in presence of us (L. S.) 

Elijah Clough 
Phebe Currier 



The Petition of Abel Rowell. 

(Confined in Amherst jail, 1792.) 

To the Inhabitants of the Town of Hopkinton : The petition of 
Abel Rowell, a prisoner in the great stone jail at Amherst : Gen- 
tlemen : Being confined in a gloomy prison, oppressed with pros- 
pects still more gloomy and dismal, and covered with shame and 
confusion for my crimes, the sole cause of my present suffering, I 
should be driven to a state of desperation, had I not some ground of 
hope in your benevolence and generosity. My offense is known to 
all, but my miseries and sufferings are past description ; they can 
only be realized by the wretch like myself. In my last imprison- 
ment, cold, hunger, wants, sickness and remorse were added to the 
insupportable burden of my chains. I am now deprived of the 
light of the sun, except the scanty ray which passes the grates of 
my melancholy apartment. A stone is my pillow and straw both 
my bed and covering. Being naked and friendless, I must fall a 
sacrifice to the inclemency of the season ensuing, unless your 
humanity send me release ; — which if you should do, your wisdom 
will point out the most proper way ; and on my part nothing shall be 
omitted to testify to you my thanks for such an unmerited kindness. 
If any good could arise from my suffering to you or any of my 
fellow creatures, it might be a comfort to me and plea for you. But 
since nothing but an increase of suffering can possibly be the result, 
I, in the most humble and sincere manner, beg and implore relief, 
which, if you refuse, this horrid mansion must be my home for life 
— a life of necessity shortened by the unhealthy dampness from 
those walls with which I am surrounded. I wait for your answer 
with impatience and subscribe myself the sufferer, 

Abel Rowell. 

33 



530 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

An Interesting Educational Document. 
(Contributed by Mrs. F. P. Knowlton.) 
To The Inhabitants of The School District No. 1. 

Gentlemen : 

As tbe Town bave thougbt proper to appoint us, a Committee, to 
visit and inspect their schools, it is our determination to execute the 
duties of tbat appointment with attention and fidelity, and in such 
manner as, in our apprehension, shall best promote the interest and 
welfare of the rising generation. 

The importance of education is too well understood to require 
arguments in its support. A general diffusion of knowledge and 
literature is recognized by our constitution as essential to the preser- 
vation of a free government. The encouragement of it is made the 
duty of our Legislators. In discbarge of that duty, they have from 
time to time enacted laws for effecting that object. The late act of 
the General Court, for tbe regulation of schools, appears better cal- 
culated to answer the purpose than any system which has been 
heretofore adopted. It must, however, owe much of its success and 
advantage to the individual attention and exertions of the Inhabi- 
tants, and particularly to the care and vigilance of the Committees 
of the various School Districts. Every citizen in the Community 
has, in this respect, an interest to secure and a duty to perform. 

Impressed with these sentiments, Gentlemen, we have deemed it 
highly proper to address you upon the subject at this early period. 
We claim no authority or right of control. Nor do we expect or 
wish our opinion to have any influence upon your conduct farther 
than you find it to be correct. We take the liberty candidly to 
point out what we apprehend to be common errors, and to recom- 
mend the adoption of measures which, we believe, will prove essen- 
tially beneficial. 

Although our sentiments upon this subject may not perfectly 
coincide with yours, yet we flatter ourselves that the following hints 
will be received with the same candor with which they are written. 

1. It is expedient that the District should choose their best men 
for a school committee, as that committee is usually intrusted to 
employ teachers. It requires skill and judgment to select suitable 
instructors. Ignorant pretenders are not so likely to attempt to 
impose themselves upon men of understanding as upon persons of 
a different character. 

2. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of instructors. 
It too often happens that young men who are totally unqualified 
for the task, seek and find employment. It is seriously to be 
regretted that more regard is apt to be paid to the price than to the 



EDUCATIONAL DOCUMENT. 531 

qualifications of masters. Economy is highly commendahle, but it is 
sometimes mistaken and its intended object defeated. 

3. It will be found advisable to lay out the school money together 
as much as possible. It requires some time for children to accustom 
themselves to study and application. Several of the first weeks 
may be said to be merely preparatory to improvement. Pupils 
generally make greater proficiency and learn more in the third than 
in both the preceding months. Observation will convince any per- 
son of the truth of this position. It therefore appears to be a mis- 
application and loss of the money, when the sum is small, to divide 
it as is frequently done. 

4. The Committee of the District ought to visit and inspect their 
school frequently, to give seasonable advice and instructions as to 
the studies, order and government of the school. This will tend to 
encourage and animate the master, and stimulate the scholars, and 
to prevent that neglect and those irregularities which too often dis- 
grace our common seminaries of learning and destroy their useful- 
ness. There is just reason to believe that, in many schools, the 
large scholars are suffered to pass their time in indolence and mis- 
chief without correction from the master. In this way, they not 
only lose their own time but disturb others and contaminate the 
smaller children by their pernicious example. 

5. It is necessary that the scholars be furnished with proper books 
suited to their studies and standing. Those who attend to writing 
should be provided with copperplate copies, and those who are 
learning to cypher, with arithmetics. In this way much time of the 
master which is often lost in setting copies and sums may be saved 
and usefully improved. Besides, the scholars will make greater 
proficiency and become much more perfect in those branches of 
education. The expense to parents will be trifling compared with 
the advantages. 

6. Every member of the school should be required to read and 
spell at least once in every day. For this purpose it is recom- 
mended that all who can read tolerably well should be formed into 
a class and be taught to read some portion of the Holy Scriptures 
at the opening of the school every morning. The Psalms are 
peculiarly calculated for such an exercise. As they are a very 
devotional part of the Bible, the reading of them will naturally tend 
to solemnize the mind and prepare it for reflection. The antient 
custom of using the Bible as the only school book was carrying the 
principle to an extreme. Other books were necessary and might be 
more useful. The modern practice of excluding it altogether is, in 
the opinion of good judges, equally improper. 

7. The strictest attention ought to be paid to the morals and 
manners of the scholar, that those literary institutions, which are 
designed to be seminaries of good breeding, virtue & piety may 
not be converted into nurseries of vice and corruption. 



532 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Gentlemen : 

We presume these hints will have such weight as they merit. It 
is our intention to visit your school twice during the year, that is, 
about the beginning and close of the school. You will have the good- 
ness to give us seasonable information of the time of its commence- 
ment. We confidently rely on your concurrent aid and assistance 
in effecting the important object of our appointment and hope to 
discharge our duty in a manner which shall be beneficial to the 
town and acceptable to you. 

We have the honor to be, with due consideration and respect, 
Your obedient servants, 

John Osgood Ballard. 
Ethan Smith. 
John Harris. 
Hopkinton, March, 1809. 



No. 1. Stibscriptions. 

For the purchase of a Bell, 

to be erected on the Eastwardly Meeting house 

in Hopkinton. 

The Committee chosen April 24th, 1809, 

to complete the subscriptions, 

is composed of the following Gentlemen. Viz. : 

Mes'rs Jonathan Chase. Francis Proctor. 

Joseph Towne. Richard Hall. 

Parker Pearson. Mark Jewett. 

Timothy Darling. Thomas Story, Jr. 

Nathaniel Colby. John Kimball, Jr. 

Adjourned 

to thursday, May 4th, five o'clock, P. M. 
then to meet at the town house. 

Capt. Jonathan Chase. 

A correct copy of Subscriptions made prior to the meeting of 
April 24th, 1809. 



SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR PURCHASE OF BELL. 



533 



Dol. Moses Ilovt. 
Jonathan Chase, 4(> Ezekiel Knowlton, 
Joseph Towne, 40 Moody Smith, 

Ebenezer Lerned, 25 William Weeks, 
Joseph Chandler, Jr., 20 Isaac Long, 
Theophiles Stanley, 17 Sam'] Farrington, 
NathJ Knowlton, 5Philip Farrington, 

Joseph Estabrook, 10 Bennmg Smart, 



Moody M. Currier, 
Joseph B. Tow lie 
Isaac Bailey, 3 d , 
Joshua Bailey, 
Gardiner Greene, 
Caleb Sawyer, 
Daniel Marsh, 
Moses Bailey, 
John Bailey, 
Th. W. Colby, 
Stephen Sargent, 
Nathan Sargent, 
Timothy Darling, 
Tho. Williams, 
Isaac Bailey, Jr., 
James Currier, 
Thomas Farwell, 
Jacob Kimball, 

John Chase, 

John Chadwick, 
Stephen Currier, 
Samuel Clarke. 
Moses Chandler, 
Reuben French, 
Sam'l Burbank, 



50 Ephriam Colby, 
5 l'ph'in Colbj . Junr., 

3 Francis Proctor 

3 Richard Colby, 
■_' Dan'l Know Iton, 

7 Enoch Long, Junr., 
1 Samuel Long, 

1 Xatlfl Proctor, 

10 Jonathan Proctor, 

8 Isaac Proctor, 

5 David S. story. 

5 Cesar Webber, 
20 Timothy Colby, 
10 William D. Colby, 

5 Levi Hildrith, 

3 Andrew \Y. Ober, 

2 Elizabeth Ober, 
1 Israel Ober, 

5 Elisha Parker, 
1 Benja. Johnson, 

10 Charles Chase. 

3 J. Stark. 

15 Thomas Foster. 
20 Samuel Stocker, 
1 Thomas Story. Junr 



."ill Eliphalet Homes, 
."> Ezra Eastman, 
."> Simeon Eastman, 

20 Mark Jewett, 

10 Enoch Gould, 

8 Johnson Eastman, 
1 Simeon Fast man, Jr 
8 Samuel Bickford, 
4 Joseph Bickford, 

1 Leonard Fales, 
20 Samuel I loiiii k, 

2 Phinehas Clough, 

1 John Howell. 

2 Phinehas (dement. 
■_' John Kimball, Jr., 
:'■ Parker 1'earson. 

'2 Moses Gould, Jr., 

:\ 

3 

1 

.') 
'•> 

1 
1 
3 

1 
5 
4 
4 



Roger Flitt Perkins. 4-5 Joshua Clement, 
Samuel G. Titcomb, 5William Coloney, 



Caleb Burnham, 
Isaac Colby, 

David Allen, 
Mark Allen. 
John Tewksluiry. 
Aaron Kimball, 
Nath'l Greene, 



5 Richard Webber, 
3 Joseph Barnard, 
:! Adonijah Tylor, 
2.50 John Stanley, 
2 John L. Palfrey, 
2 Simeon Trior, 
1 



30 

10 
3 

1 
1 



We the Subscribers agree to pay the several sums affixed to our 
names tor to purchase a Bell to l>e erected on the Fastwardly meeting 
house in Ilopkinton ; said money to be Paid out by a Committee 
chosen by the Subscribers. 

Ilopkinton. April 25th, 1809. 

Dol. 
Daniel Chase. 4. 

Note.— The above subscription list appears to be No. 1. in a number 
of copies distributed among a Committee to further solicit contribu- 
tions for the purpose discribed. Capt. Jonathan Chase, using list No. 
1, succeeded in obtaining one additional subscription. 



534 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Lydia Gile. 

by alonzo j. fogg. 

On the morning of Aug-. 29, 1708. the French and Indians made 
a deadly attack on Haverhill, Mass. One party made an attack on 
the house of Lieut. John Johnson, near the river. On that fatal 
morning his family consisted of himself, 76 years of age. his wife 
70. Ruth Johnson, wife of Thomas Johnson, 2d, aged 20, and her 
babe, Lydia, one year and six Jays old. When the enemy made 
their appearance the whole family were standing in the doorway, 
Ruth with her babe in her arms. The Indians discharged their 
guns at once, and shot down old Mr. and Mrs. Johnson where they 
stood. Ruth with her babe fled through the house into the garden, 
where she was overtaken by one of the fiends, who deeply buried a 
tomahawk in her brains. When she fell by the murderous stroke 
she was careful to shield her child, and not injure it, and one would 
be led to think her last thoughts were centred on the safety of her 
babe. After the massacre was over and the savages had left, the 
babe Lydia was found alive and well, nestling at the breast of her 
dead mother. 

Lydia Johnson, who so miraculously escaped the fate which be- 
fell her mother, lived and grew to womanhood and married Eben- 
e/.er Gile, of Haverhill. Mass., Jan. 6, 1782. In time, Gile, with 
his wife Lydia, moved to Hampstead, and thence to Hopkinton, 
where he died prior to the Revolution. 

Johnson (Tile, a son of Ebenezer and Lydia, was born, we think, 
in Hopkinton, in L752, where he lived till 1779. when he removed, 
together with his young family and widowed mother, to Enfield. 
Lydia, the mother of Johnson Grile, died in Enfield in 1781, aged 
74. Her sou, Johnson Gile. died March 14. 1790, aged 88. 

Lydia Gile was a woman of much activity and intelligence, 
comely features, a sweet temper. _ ami. in her day, reflected credit 
on any society she moved in. Her descendants are of some of the 
best and most influential families in New Hampshire and the adjoin- 
ing states. This brief historic drama of human life shows on what 
a brittle thread or slight incident the existence or non-existence of 
a family race depends. 

Rutli Johnson, the young mother who was so inhumanly mur- 
dered in 1708. belonged to a fated family. She was the eldest 
child of Daniel Bradley. Jr.. ami his wife. Hannah How Bradley, 
who were married at Haverhill. Mass.. Jan. 5, 1077-'78. 

(hi the 5th of March. 1097. both of Ruth's parents, her sister 
Mary, bom May 0. 1008. and her other sister. Hannah, born June 
0, 1000. being only nine months old, were murdered by the cruel 
savages before her eyes, and she taken captive and carried away, 
but after a while was redeemed, when a few years later a worse fate 
awaited her. 



A FAMOUS PBIZE. 585 

On the same morning of this massacre at Haverhill, Mass., Mrs. 
Hannah Dustin was taken captive and hurried away up the Merri- 

inack river. Mrs. Dustill made her escape OH tin' morning of the 

.'>lst of the same month by k i Ui nn, ten Indians mth a tomahawk on 
an island at the month of the Contoocook river, in the adjoining 
town of Bosoawen. A beautiful granite monument now points to 
the spot where Mrs. Dustin made her heroic strike for liberty, and 

which partly revenged the cruel murder of her infant child and 

the Bradley family. 

After the capture of the inmates (if Woodwell's toil, April '_"_', 

L746, the assembly was convened at Portsmouth the following May 

6th, and it voted to raise fifty men for live months' sen ice, and they 

be encouraged by giving a bounty for each Indian they shall kill 

within said time of service that the war has heen declared by the 
government. For Indians upwards of twelve years of age, killed 
and scalp produced, the sum of seventy pounds, and captives se\m- 
ty-eigh1 pounds and fifteen shillings. Females and other Indians 
under twelve years of age killed and scalp produced, thirty-seven 
pounds and ten shillings, and captives, thirty-nine pounds live shil- 
lings. 



A Famous Prize. 

BY AXONZO J. ffOCKJ. 

Ahont L820, there were Living in llopkinton village two men, by 
the respective names of Phillips and llrown. One day Phillips 

purchased a ticket in a lottery scheme either to be drawn in Sa- 
vanna or New York, paying $8 for it. Before the day of drawing, 
Phillips began to grow sick-hearted of his investment, and offered 

to sell his ticket to llrown for $4. BrOWU accepted the offer, hut 
soon began to lose faith as to ultimate success, and a few days lie- 
fore the drawing offered the ticket to a farmer for a small load of 
meadow hay, which the farmer refused, although he would have 
heen pleased to have sold the load for $2 in money. 

The drawing of the lottery prizes took place on the day appointed, 

and in a few weeks the news came hy mail to Phillips that the 
number on the ticket credited to him had drawn a prize of $26,000, 

and by signing a paper enclosed and returning it by mail, together 

with original ticket, to show he was the actual possessor of the 
prize, the money would he remitted agreeably to his order. Hilt, 
while poor Phillips had the credit of the ticket, another possessed 
it in rightful ownership. For a little consideration Phillips was 
induced to make over (he papers to lirown. and they were sent 
according to instructions. In due time, the money by draft was 
sent to the hank in Concord, which Hrown received, le>s certain per 
cent., in United States hank notes. 



536 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

In those days $25,000 was considered a large sum of money, 
especially if it belonged to a person residing in a small country 
town in New Hampshire, and it nearly upset the mental faculties 
of the possessor of this mushroom fortune. Mr. Brown brought the 
money home and deposited it in his bureau drawer, but when dark- 
ness began to cast its gloomy shade across the earth he began to 
grow uneasy, and after retiring for the night he found he could not 
sleep, and imagined he could hear footsteps outside the house. In 
the dim visions of the night he could apparently see figures in 
human form approaching his door, but, while he looked, they ap- 
peared to remain stationary. He kept a constant watch throughout 
the night, and when morning came no sleep had closed his eyes. 

Mr. Brown had confidence in the honesty of Judge Harvey, but 
if he let him have the money he would be equally accessible to the 
assassin's knife or bludgeon. Accordingly the third night he silent- 
ly arose from the bed about midnight, and taking his prize with 
him, made a circuitous route to the woods, where, after considerable 
search in the dark, he placed his bank notes in the hollow of a large 
tree, and filled the outside cavity with pieces of bark and dried 
leaves. The next day he thought he would visit his new treasury 
department and see if everything was right and safe. But the 
woods in the daytime presented altogether a different appearance 
than what they did in the night, and, after a careful search till sun- 
down, he was forced to return to his house without finding the tree 
where his funds had been deposited. The next morning Brown 
arose before the sun, and repaired to the forest on his secret expe- 
dition, and sunset found him in the same condition, viz., with his 
money so safely hid that he could not find it. Day followed day 
with no better success, and as a forlorn hope he arose in the night 
and followed the same route as nigh as he could on the night he 
hid the money, and in a short time the tree was found, with the 
money all safe. The foregoing is a legendary account of the $25,000 
lottery prize, and in the full details may not be correct. 

Mr. Brown began to make investments in real estate, built farm 
buildings, and in time moved to Concord, where he died many years 
ago. Buildings are still standing in Hopkinton and Concord as the 
result of this $25,000 lottery prize. Mr. Brown has very respecta- 
ble descendants still living. His Christian name was Philip. 



OUR FORESTS. 537 

Our Forests. 
by joseph barnard. 

I think it may be of interest to some of your readers to give an 
outline sketch of our forests, with their management and uses from 
one period to another, that they may understand what our forests 
Avere as compared with the present time. The forests of this state 
have been of great benefit, and a source of income, notwithstanding 
the amount of labor involved in clearing for tillage and pasturage. 

Before American Independence, the King of Great Britain sent 
his agents through this state, who marked a large number of trees of 
sufficient size to make masts for seventy-four gunships of war, with 
the broad arrow, thus ^. cut deep into the bark, about four feet in 
length. No one was allowed to meddle with the marked trees 
under a heavy penalty. There were two in the Mast swamp in 
Boscawen, and one on the farm of the late Isaiah Webber, in this 
town. One of the former and the latter were cut before the Revo- 
lutionary war. It was said by old people that a pair of six feet 
cattle could be turned on the stump, without stepping off, of the one 
cut in the Mast swamp. It took twenty-five yoke of oxen to draw 
the mast to the river. The other one had the top broken off by the 
wind, and was hollow. It was about sixty feet feet high, and a fine 
specimen of the old pine. A few years ago it was cut by some coon 
hunters. It was about five feet in diameter, twelve feet from the 
ground, and was always known as the " King" tree. 

During the early period of settlements, masts were taken from 
this section of the state to the seaport. Large numbers were taken 
from the Mast swamp above mentioned, and were drawn to the 
mast-yard on the bank of the Contoocook river, near the Mast Yard 
station on the Concord & Claremont Railroad : hence its name. A 
large number of men came up winters from the lower towns, and 
built log camps for themselves and ox teams. Within my remem- 
brance the spot was plainly marked where these camps had rotted 
down, and the old pine stump was still there in the centre of the 
men's camp, with the top scooped out for the barrel of rum to set 
in. 

Soon after this, saw-mills were erected on the small streams, in 
different parts of the town, to saw lumber to build farm buildings, 
and sell to the village people to build up the villages. These mills 
had the up and down saw, which would cut about 2,000 feet a day. I 
find, by my grandfather's old mill account, dating a hundred years 
back, that boards were sawed at his mill, and drawn by ox teams 
from here to Garvin's Falls. One of the first settlers drove mill 
logs for several years, from two miles above Contoocook to New- 
buryport, and gained a good property by the operation. The early 



538 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

settlers employed more help than we do at the present time. After 
harvesting was over, the surplus help went to the woods and worked 
in the winter months, splitting and shaving short and long shingles 
and clapboards from pine trees ; also, white oak, ash, and chestnut 
into barrel staves and headings ; and red oak into shook staves. 
Others cut, split, and shaved hoop poles. Most of these men were 
experts in the business. Those who made shingles were called shin- 
gle weavers. They would frequently box into a tree and take out 
a large chip ; if it proved cross-grained or windy it was rejected. 
I have cut many of these rejected trees, in lumbering. I once 
saw one of these shingle weavers at work, splitting his shingle so 
near the pattern that they needed but very little shaving. The 
shingles were bound together by split pieces of wood, called bind- 
ers, nine hundred in a bunch. The clapboards were tied in 
bunches of twenty-five with withes. In this way they were trans- 
ported to market by ox teams, and exchanged for such goods as 
were wanted by the farmers, sometimes receiving part money for 
pay. The white oak, ash, and chestnut staves were mostly worked 
into barrels by coopers in different parts of the town. The shook 
staves were shaved into shape and set up with truss hoops in the 
shape of a hogshead, and heated until they were bent into proper 
shape, then knocked down and each packed in a bundle, not unlike 
the clapboards. The barrels and shocks were carted by ox teams 
to the cities, the barrels to be filled with rum, beef, pork, etc., and 
the shooks were exported to the West Indies and other parts, set up, 
headed, and filled irwith molasses. Large quantities of hard pine 
were cut and burned into charcoal for blacksmiths' use, and other 
purposes. This brings us down to the second period of lumbering 
in this state. During these years was the flax-growing period 
among the farmers. 

At the commencement of the second period of lumbering, our 
hills and valleys were covered with a growth of soft and hard wood 
timber trees, of great size, from two hundred and twenty-five to 
two hundred and fifty years old. The best of pine could be bought 
for $2 or $3 per thousand on the stump. In the latter part of the 
first quarter of the present century, the city of Lowell was com- 
menced (about 1821), and a corporation established for the manu- 
facturing of cotton cloth. Kirk Boot, an English expert in the 
business, was at the head of the concern. This enterprise gave new 
life to lumbering operations. 

Not far from this time, Jonathan Eastman, of East Concord, 
invented the clapboard and shingle machines. The clapboard 
machine cut the clapboards from the round log by a circular saw, 
hammered from iron by the common blacksmith — a poor thing com- 
pared with our present steel saws. The first clapboard machine 
was bought by Dea. Philip Brown, of this town, and set up on the 



OUR FORESTS. 539 

brook between George W. Currier's and the main road, in the old 
carding mill building, and I think was run by Stephen Sibley. It 
was afterward moved to Contoocookville and sold to his brother, the 
late Hon. Abram Brown, and was run by Moses Palmer, Capt. 
John Burnham, and others. Shingles were sawed from bolts of old 
.growth pine. Of course there was the usual prejudice against the 
machines, as against all new inventions at that time ; but timber that 
would rift well had become scarce, and the increased demand com- 
pelled the shingle and clapboard splitters to quit the business. Saw- 
mills, clapboard, and shingle mills multiplied, and the number of 
lumbermen increased. In the winter season all of the spare help 
went to the forest. Timber was cut for all purposes, and drawn by 
jobbers and farmers to the different mills to be sawed and to the 
river bank to be run to the mills on the river. All of the mills 
were kept busy as long as the water held out. Also masts and bow- 
sprits were cut, peeled, and drawn to the river, to be taken down by 
water in the spring to Charlestown and Newburyport, for vessels. 

Early in the spring, as soon as the river was clear of ice, rafting 
of boards, plank, and timber was begun in earnest. This work re- 
quired men of experience. The lumber was piled in cribs four feet 
wide, and high enough to make 1,000 feet, board measure, on two 
sticks of timber slanting towards the river. The cribs were bound 
together by two binders, made from small white oak trees, split in 
the middle, sbaved round at each end, run under the crib, and 
turned up through a joist with a hole in each end, and the joist 
driven down as tight as possible and wedged. It was then shoved 
into the river. Eight cribs of 16 feet lumber made one shot the 
size that could be taken through the locks at one time. When a 
sufficient number of cribs were made for a raft, they were bound 
together in all directions as strongly as possible, and run down the 
river by experienced men, to market. The lumber was measured, 
or guessed at, at each set of locks. The lock-tenders would get the 
amount very near, every time. Samuel Kidder, at the guard locks 
in Manchester, is the only one left, to my knowledge, of all the lock- 
tenders. Pilots were employed to run the rafts from Amoskeag to 
Litchfield, that being the most difficult part of the river to run 
below Concord. The rafts were mostly top-loaded with clapboards, 
shingles, and laths, and sometimes with the best quality of other 
lumber. Factory beams were also hewed and run down in the same 
way. Oak plank for covering vessels, intermixed with pine to keep 
them from sinking, were run down the l'iver, and through the Mid- 
dlesex canal to Charlestown mill-pond. When the rafts reached 
the market they were sold to the lumber merchant, and taken out 
of the water and surveyed. If the lumberman cleared $1 per thou- 
sand, above expense, he considered himself lucky. 

During these years other manufacturing places were building up — 
Nashua, Manchester, and others of less note. Immense quantities 



540 LIFE AND TMES IN HOPEINTON. 

of timber were wanted during the first and second periods. If the 
people of New Hampshire could have foreseen the value of their tim- 
ber earlier, millions might have been reserved to the present day 
of the old forests I have been describing. During the first two 
periods, as I have divided the time, but few kinds of trees were con- 
sidered of any value except for wood, compared with the great 
variety now used. Railroad building now commenced, and dairy- 
ing and sheep-farming, in New Hampshire. 



Centennial Celebration of the Baptist Church in Hop- 
kinton, August 30, 1871. 

by rev. c. w. burnham. 

(Printed immediately after the Centennial.) 

A goodly number of friends assembled from the churches of the 
Salisbury Association and from abroad, and completely filled the 
house, and listened with interest to the tilings new and old brought 
before them by the speakers. The morning was occupied with an 
historical discourse by the late pastor. Rev. C. W. Burnham, while 
the afternoon was spent in an interesting conference, participated 
in by Revs. E. E. Cummings, D. D., Joshua Clement, B. H. Lane, 
H. G. Safford, J. K. Young, D. D.. and D. AY. Faunce. Messages 
and letters were received from former pastors, the state of whose 
health prevented their presence. Pleasant and tender memories 
filled the day, ami made it a season long to be remembered. The 
good people of Hopkinton met their numerous guests with that 
thoughtful and generous hospitality for which they are noted. 

Some of the facts brought out in the address are worthy of re- 
membrance. A branch church was gathered and attached to the 
First Baptist church in Haverhill, Mass., in 1769, by Dr. Hezekiah 
Smith, and two years later. May 8, 1771, was recognized as an 
independent Baptist church. In two years more it had more than 
doubled its membership, had elected John Currier deacon, on pro- 
bation, and was in a promising state. But through some doctrinal 
difficulties and the disturbances occasioned by the Revolutionary 
war, the little flock was scattered and greatly weakened for a time. 
It arose again in 1789 and instituted regular meetings, and from 
thence has never ceased to witness for the Gospel. It shared in the 
great religious awakening of 1793, and welcomed many into the 
fold, both at home ami abroad. It gathered a branch of forty-five 
members at Bow. which became independent two years after with a 
membership of fifty-four. This branch did good service for several 
years, but lost its visibility in 1819. A branch of about twenty 



CENTENNIAL CELKISK ATION BAPTIST CHURCH. 541 

members was gathered at Goffstown. There were some good mem- 
hen in it. but it never seemed to prosper either as a branch or as 
an independent church. It became extinct in 1819. A branch 
church was gathered at Londonderry in 1795, which was bidden 
God-speed as an independent sister church in 1799, and which still 
holds on in the good way. This branch was constituted of brethren 
resident at Londonderry and the several adjoining towns of Merri- 
mack. Bradford, Derrvtield (now Manchester), and Nottingham 
West (now Hudson), in which places churches afterwards were 
formed, some of which still live and prosper. 

Another result of the revival in L793 was the building- of a meet- 
ing-house and the calling of a pastor. The place of worship was 
enclosed and occupied in 179."), though it was not finished for at 
least twenty years afterwards. The first pastor, Elder Elisha An- 
drews, commenced his pastorate in 1795 and closed it in 179S, giv- 
ing one half of his time to the church. With this exception, this 
church had no settled pastor during the first forty-four years of its 
history. It was, however, blessed with the occasional labors of 
such men as Elders John Peak, Job Seemans. Dr. Shepard. Thomas 
Paul, and Jasper Hazen. but for the most part dependent upon its 
own members. Its first deacon. John Currier, was, after twenty- 
three years probationary service, ordained to that office. 

He was a man of prudence, loving spirit, and ready tongue, and 
often "improved his gift" for the edification of the church. Dea. 
Benj. B. Darling was raised up in the revival of 179.'-), and nobly 
seconded his labors. Benj. Sargent, another member of the church, 
was •• approbated/ 1 and preached both in Hopkinton and Bow. He 
went out with the Bow church, and was subsequently ordained as 
its pastor. He labored in the ministry some twenty-six years. 
Dea. Jonathan Fowler was baptized into the church in 1803, and 
acceptably alternated with his colleagues in preaching. He after- 
wards led a large party that seceded from the old church, and which 
formed a Freewill Baptist Church. One evil resulted from this 
method of sustaining the gospel. There was very little doctrinal 
preaching, and a part of the church failed to be well grounded in 
the faith: and when, in 1815, a pastor was settled, the Articles of 
Faith were not made a test of fitness. A Christian Baptist. Elder 
Abner Jones, was called on the ground of his earnestness as a 
preacher and his practice of immersion. A revival resulted from 
his labors, and naturally a large number were biassed by his views 
of doctrine and church order. A serious difficulty arose. He re- 
signed, and the church found it impossible to agree upon a succes- 
sor. FinaDy that portion of the church holding to the original 
Articles of Faith ordained Rev. Michael Carlton, and took a new 
lease of life. That part which was dissatisfied with this was quite 
as numerous, but a board of referees decided that the privileges 
and property of the church were rightly claimed by those who main- 



542 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

tained the original Articles of Faith. From that time they and 
their successors have heen in undisturbed possession. 

For the last forty-nine years the church has not long been with- 
out a pastor. For several pastorates it was blessed with revivals. 
During Rev. M. Carlton's pastorate, four seasons of religious 
awakening were enjoyed. He welcomed one hundred and seven 
into the membership of the church. Twenty-eight were added dur- 
ing the pastorate of Rev. A. T. Foss. After Mr. Foss's dismissal, 
the church called and ordained Dr. L. B. Cole. His pastorate was 
short, and ended in trial and difficulty, but there were seventy-eight 
members added under his ministrations. The religious interest cul- 
minated during the labors of Rev. Samuel Cook. His pastorate 
commenced when the attention of all men was turned to Bible doc- 
trines and the solemn things of an approaching judgment. His 
preaching was greatly blessed, divisions were healed, and one hun- 
dred and fifteen were added to the church as the fruit of his labor : 
very few adults attended church who did not profess conversion. 
But the time set for the end of the world passed by. Men who 
had sought religion from mere fear and selfishness lost their dread, 
and joined themselves to their idols. Rev. K. S. Hall, taking ordi- 
nation vows upon him, faithfully encountered this reaction and did 
efficient work for Christ. The meeting-house was refitted and other 
needed improvements accomplished under his lead. Rev. Samuel 
J. Carr, of endeared memory, sought to " strengthen the things that 
remain," but removals to larger places and to the West constantly 
decreased the membership. He was followed by Rev. Jonathan E. 
Brown, who did a valuable controversial work. His lectures on 
Swedenborgianism were regarded as a masterly and unanswerable 
exposition of that evil. He advocated the causes of temperance and 
of patriotism with equal ardor and power. Rev. C. W. Burnham 
was called and ordained in 1863. His pastorate has been marked 
by material improvements. Horse-sheds and parsonage buildings 
have been erected, and the church remodelled and repaired. Over 
four thousand dollars have been thus expended upon these improve- 
ments, more than five thousand dollars paid for current expenses, 
and two thousand five hundred dollars raised for benevolence, and 
all this without incurring debt. AVhile no general revival has been 
enjoyed, some pi'ofessed Christ each year, and forty joined the 
church during the eight years of his pastorate. 

The church has sent forth several laborers into the harvest dur- 
ing the latter half of its work. Their names are Timothy R. Cres- 
sey, Joshua Clement, Emery Smith, Harrison C. Page, and TV. 
Harrison Eaton. It is no little credit to have been the spiritual 
mother of some of these. 

This sketch, already too long, gives only a few of the interesting 
facts which crowded the history. Of the Baptist churches now ex- 
isting in New Hampshire, only the Newton church was formed as 



A SACRED CONCERT. 543 

early as this. This church has gathered and fostered three branches, 
raised up nine preachers of the gospel, set apart eleven worthy dea- 
cons, and gathered a total membership of about eight hundred in 
the home church, and nearly a hundred more in the branches. The 
present membership is one hundred. The appointments of the 
church are in good condition, and the members are praying for an 
under shepherd. May the Lord send them a man full of the Holy 
Spirit. 



A Sacred Concert. 

BY MRS. CARLOS G. HAWTHORNE. 
(Originally printed in The Hopkinton Times.) 

A sacred concert was given in the Congregational church, Hop- 
kinton, March 22 — forty-one years ago. One of the programmes 
was found among the effects of the late Lydia Story, a copy of 
which may be of interest. 

Concert of Sacral M 'usic tjircn by the Singing-School under the instruc- 
tion of Isaac Story, at the Congregational Ma tiny-House in Hopkinton, 
Tuesday evening, March 22, 1842. 

ORDER OF EXERCISES. 

1. Hymn. 

2. Prayer. 

3. Hymn, " Daughter of Zion." 

4. Anthem, "One Thing have I desired of the Lord." 

5. Sentence, " Let the words of my mouth." 

6. Psalm, "Spirit of Peace." 

7. Trio, " The Sabbath Bell." 

8. Motet, " Blessed are those who keep God's Word." 

9. Motet, " Holy is the Lord." 

10. Anthem, " I was glad when They said unto Me." 

11. Hymn, " The Lord our God is clothed." 

12. Motet, " Great is the Lord." 

PART SECOND. 

1. "As Israel's people in despair." 

2. Sanctus. 

3. Psalm, " High o'er the heavens." 

4. Te Deum, "We praise Thee, O God." 

5. Motet, " What though 1 may ne'er discover." 

6. Chant, " Benedic Anima Mea." 

7. Anthem, " I will extol Thee, O my God." 

8. " O, how lovely is Zion." 

9. Motet, "Worship and praise be unto our God." 

10. Motet, "O, praise the Parent of all Good." 

11. Hymn, "The Lord is risen indeed." 

12. Anthem, " O Lord, our Governor." 



544 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

There were sixty or more singers who occupied the gallery. The 
music consisted mostly of selections from the " Modern Psalmist," 
a very popular work published by Lowell Mason. The house was 
filled, and one who was present says, " There was good singing," 
which we can well believe. Among the sopranos were Mrs. Isaac 
Story ; Miss Mary Colby, now Mrs. Alfred A. Rollins ; Margaret 
Rollins, afterwards Mrs. Timothy Colby ; Miss Sophronia Smart, 
now widow of J. Smith Story ; Miss Mary Jane Bailey, and many 
others. Miss Elizabeth Smith, afterwards Mrs. J. Fred Gage, 
Miss Lucy Lerned, Miss Nancy Rollins, and Miss Emma Chandler, 
wife of Judge Joseph M. Cavis, of San Francisco, are remembered 
among the altos. 

Jeremiah Runnels, Andrew S. Smith, Thomas Bailey, Moody B. 
Smith, and George Colby sang tenor. 

For bass there were Jonathan Allen, H. Dewey White, Alfred 
A. Rollins, Parker M. Flanders, and C. G. Hawthorne. Last but 
not least, and perhaps the best singer of all, was Deacon Timothy 
Colby, who so lately has left the choir here to join the celestial 
choir above. 

There was no organ, but Capt. Isaac Story played the violin, 
Alfred A. Rollins the bass viol, and Jonathan Allen the double bass 
viol. How grand those old anthems must have sounded ! Rev. 
Moses Kimball was pastor of the church then, and gave the prayer 
and benediction. 

Connected with the singing-school mentioned in the programme 
is the story that one of the young ladies wore on each evening a 
different dress. It is not known how many evenings were thus 
represented, but it is safe to suppose that there were a good many. 
We are saddened by the reflection that there is no singing-school at 
the present time where the young people can exhibit their clothes 
and perhaps learn a little music. Besides this school, Mr. Story 
kept the day-school in the village, a singing-school in Concord, and 
led the choir three services on Sundays. 

As far as we have been able to ascertain, the following persons 
have acted as choristers in the Congregational choir : Deacon Isaac 
Long, Isaiah Webber, Dr. Luther J. Fitch, Luther J. Webber, Isaac 
Story, Lendon Smart, Jeremiah Runnells, Melvin Colby, J. F. Gage, 
Edward Runnels. In the " New Hampshire Collection of Church 
Music," published by Henry E. Moore, Concord, 1833, can be 
found four tunes composed by Isaiah Webber. They are Green- 
land and Woodstock, in long metre, Western, in common metre, and 
Rushville, 8s and 7s. A careful search in many of the old tune- 
books failed to reveal any other of his compositions, although it is 
said he composed a great many. He was considered quite a musi- 
cal genius, and if he could have enjoyed the advantages of a musical 
education such as the present day affords, he would probably have 
taken a front seat in the ranks of musical composers. 



REMINISCENCES. 545 



Reminiscences of Hopkinton. 
by the late f. p. knowlton. 

(Originally printed in the Hopkinton Times.) 

Lowell, March 20, 1883. 

Mr. Editor: Several numbers of the Hopkinton Times having 
fallen into my hands recently, in perusing which I have been much 
interested, and reminded of the newspaper, tbe people, and many 
incidents that occurred in the grand old town of Hopkinton sixty 
years ago or more. 

I well remember the man on horseback, " Post," as he was called, 
a tall, dignified, ministerial appearing man, witb saddle-bags well 
filled with newspapers, who always dropped one at my father's 
house. It was on Saturday ; the paper was promptly delivered in 
the south part of the town about midday. It was called the 
Farmers' Cabinet, and printed at Amherst. Quite a sensation in 
the neighborhood on its arrival. About this time was the close of 
the war, 1815. There were but two subscribers, I think, in the 
district, and for some years later it was rare to see any other news- 
paper. Books were not plenty ; even school-books were few, 
although much was done by many of the people to foster the 
schools. It was wood-ashes hauled on sleds in winter to the village 
store by the boys that paid for books and writing material. 

About this time, say 1820, the trade in the village was quite 
extensive. There were five stores, — Thomas Williams, Curtis, 
Colby, Way, and Ballard. The latter afterwards opened a private 
boarding-school, for which he was well adapted. Scores through- 
out the country who were under his instruction have made them- 
selves conspicuous. We have often thought of a remark made by 
an iron-clad man, while at work with him in a field north-east of 
the village, when a youngster passed down the road, with books 
under his arm, on his way to Mr. Ballard's school. He said to me, 
calling me by name, — " There goes a lazy fellow who is trying to 
get a living Avithout work." That young man was John A. Knowles, 
now eighty-three years old, partially blind, and a respected citizen 
of Lowell. He came here in 1828, opened a writing-school, studied 
law, and was in practice here for fifty years, second to none in 
elevating and encouraging young men in education and improve- 
ment as well as work. Hopkinton in years past has furnished us 
with one able editor, J. S. C Knowlton, who was editor and pub- 
lisher of the Chelmsford Phenix, afterwards Lowell Journal, from 
1825 to 1831, died at Worcester twelve years ago; also his brother 
Daniel was here as printer and publisher for ten years, until he 
died in 1838 ; three lawyers and three doctors, two of the latter, 
Drs. Savory and Fisk, having a successful practice. Dr. Call, 
34 



546 LIFE AND TIMES LN HOPKINTON. 

an early resident here, was not in practice, engaged in the lumber 
business, real estate, etc., was an energetic business man, died 
some years ago. Of the traders above mentioned, Messrs. Curtis 
and Way were residents, and did business here for some years. The 
latter died not many years ago. 

Strong drink was a great curse to the people of Hopkinton sixty 
years ago. All of the grocery stores sold Medford rum, and nearly 
all, young and old, drank it. The trader in all towns throughout 
New England could do no business if he did not sell rum ; not so 
now, I hope. Many a farm and house changed hands in conse- 
quence of the rum drinking. We remember of seeing a barrel of 
rum standing in the yard of a farmer on the South road, sur- 
rounded by a score of men and boys testing the quality. This had 
just arrived to do its work while the haying was being done. Also 
of being one of fifteen or twenty boys who had organized a military 
company, — wooden guns of course ; but we had mounted a piece of 
a gun barrel on wheels, and therefore were gunners. 

On a Saturday afternoon, the school being closed, the company 
was out on parade in flying colors. An old gentleman who was on 
his way home from the village, having been in the army of the 
Revolution, was much pleased with the boy company, and invited 
them to his house a mile away. After consulting awhile, it was 
decided to accept his invitation. On arriving at his house, or near 
it, we fired a salute from our mounted gun. Major Weeks — for he 
had that title by right — ushered us into the house, where was spread 
a table with a variety of inviting food, ornamented with tumblers 
and decanters filled with Medford rum. We were urged to par- 
take of what was set before us, and none probably refused, as it 
was thought unmanly to do so. Several on their way home were 
unable to act their part. A peculiar ringing in my head, whether 
caused by the strong drink or the concussion of the gun, I have 
never been able to determine. The major was of fine address, 
good looking, and it was said he graduated at Cambridge ; he was 
very generous and hospitable, as was also his estimable wife. She, 
I think, was not about the house ; if she had been, the boys would 
have had a pan of rich milk set before them instead of the strong 
drink. 

In 1825, Major Weeks was an invited guest at the reception of 
Lafayette at Concord. It was reported he said to some neigh- 
bors, who were at work on the road, on his return, that he had been 
down to the dinner, and had sat at the right hand of Lafayette ; 
that it was not only an honor to them, but an honor to the town to 
have such a man in it as he was. The writer saw the good display 
at Concord. The procession was headed by General Benjamin 
Pierce, with his cocked hat and Continental uniform. 

Benjamin Pierce, father of President Pierce, was born in 1757, 
in what is now Lowell, then Chelmsford. In 1775, he was plough- 



REMINISCENCES. 547 

ing in a field near Powell street ; hearing guns, and learning from 
a messenger of the fight at Lexington, he chained his oxen to a 
tree, and, taking his uncle's gun, started for Concord, followed the 
British to Boston, where he enlisted ; was at the hattle of Bunker 
Hill. Returned to the farm after nine years' service ; soon after 
settled in Hillsborough. He was elected governor of New Hamp- 
shire in 1827 and 1829. He visited Lowell while governor, and 
looked over the land where he left his team. 

In addition to the merchants of the village mentioned above, 
there were three lawyers and one judge. Baruch Chase, who had 
the finest residence in town, Judge Harris, Matthew Harvey, after- 
wards governor, all of high standing. Baruch Chase was a man 
of culture, past activity at this time, but fond of trout fishing. We 
remember of being at the brook north of the village, and the old 
gentleman, with pole in hand, had caught his hook under a log. 
Being barefooted, I jumped into the deep hole and freed his hook. 
He was much pleased, handed me some coppers, and asked my 
name. 

The doctors were Lerned, Jones, and Stark. Colby was the new 
doctor. Dr. Stark was oftener seen riding in his sulky than any 
other at that time. He was a matter-of-fact man, and did good ser- 
vice, as we had occasion to know. 

The minister was Priest Smith, and about this time Priest Hatch 
was settled in his place, in 1821, we think. Priest Harris, of Dun- 
barton, was often seen riding horseback up the South road to 
exchange with these gentlemen. He had a faculty of discoursing in 
the pulpit that we have rarely seen since. 

The upper village, Contoocook, was a very busy place, as now, I 
suppose, a sight-seeing place for the boy of curiosity. We were 
often there with a bag of corn to be ground or wool to be carded. 
The saw-mill was first on the south side of the river, the grist-mill 
next, then the carding-mill, and in the next building was the first 
clajjboard machine that was ever seen by the oldest inhabitants. 
It may have been the first in the state. It attracted many from a 
distance, and was thought to be a wonder, as indeed it was at that 
time. Philip Brown was the proprietor and a genius, although he 
was not the inventor. The carding-machine also was a curiosity. 
The rolls that were carded by it were spun and made into cloth at 
the home where the wool was grown. Our first and best suit was 
from this manufacture. There was much to interest in these works. 
Nothing has interested us more in the old country or in the states 
than was to be seen at Contoocook sixty years ago. The dam and 
the bridge that spanned the river were closely inspected. While 
on the bridge we dropped a Spanish quarter, and it went through 
an opening in the planking into the river. It was a great loss, 
being perhaps the first one we ever had, as it was on our first visit 
at those great and wondrous works. 



548 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Among the most vivid memories of my childhood is that of the 
time when, on a bright, autumnal day, my father took down his hat 
from the peg where it was his custom to hang it, and said to me, — 
"Come, my son, would you like to take a walk?" In less than 
two minutes I had washed my face, and we were on our way toward 
school district No. 1 in Hopkinton. About one mile from the vil- 
lage, on the Concord road, we came to a guide-board on which was 
neatly painted, " Turnpike — Boston, 65 miles ; Salem, 60 ; New- 
buryport, 51 ; Hooksett, 11." On the west side of the turnpike, 
and opposite the guide-board, stood the manse of Rev. Elijah 
Fletcher. He was the second minister of Hopkinton, and died in 
1786. His daughter Grace was the wife of Daniel Webster, the 
great American statesman. 

After Philip Brown, who was a silversmith in this village, came 
into possession of twenty-five thousand dollars, which he drew in a 
lottery, he bought this place of Webster Kelly, who married another 
of Parson Fletcher's daughters. About 1816, Brown built the 
elegant mansion on the high ground next beyond the manse. He 
was an active business man, built mills, and dealt largely in real 
estate. He sold out here and went to Concord, where he died a 
number of years ago. This place is now owned by Mr. Spencer. 
After walking a short distance, we came to where the turnpike 
crossed the Jewett road. Here, turning to the right, we soon came 
to the house which my father said was built by Enoch Long, and 
in which he for many years carried on the book-binding business. 
His son Isaac Long had had a book-store and bindery in the village 
many years, and died about twenty years ago. This place is now 
owned by George Tilton. 

The next house, on the east side of the road, is an old-fashioned 
cottage house, with L adjoining, and a blacksmith's shop near it, 
which was built by Daniel Knowlton about 1792, who with his wife 
lived in it over fifty years. When he was eighteen years old, he 
rode from Manchester, Mass., on horseback, behind his grandfather, 
Jonathan Herrick. He learned his trade of his brother Robert 
Knowlton, who had a shop a few rods south of his house. Robert 
went to Concord and lived on the main road, at the foot of Dimond's 
hill. They were descendants of William Knowlton, who came 
from Chiswick, England, and who was in Ipswich, Mass., in 1641. 
Daniel Knowlton married Mary, daughter of Samuel Stocker of 
Hopkinton, who was a native of Newbury, Mass., where he enlisted 
into the service of his country at the commencement of the Revolu- 
tionary war. My father said he was a small man, and on inspec- 
tion was rejected on account of his size. He enlisted again, and 
when the men were drawn out for inspection, he scraped up a mound 
of dirt and stood upon it in order to bring himself up to the regula- 
tion height. The inspector, after looking at him a moment, said, " If 
you have patriotism enough to do that, you may go," and he served 



REMINISCENCES. 540 

as drummer to the close of the war, and was honorably discharged. 
Daniel Knowlton died in 1842. He was a quiet man, whose out- 
ward life never wore the semblance of extreme sanctity, or whose 
voice was loud in songs of praise. But he was an honest man, and 
walked in his unobtrusive way as gently as the rivulet which flows 
through the quiet vale, and leaving in its course the marks of fer- 
tility and beauty. 

A few rods south stands a house originally owned by Gen. Jud- 
kins, and afterwards by Robert Knowlton, who had a blacksmith's 
shop on the opposite side of the road. 

I asked my father how so many blacksmiths could get a living in 
those days. He told me that much of the iron work which is now 
done by machinery was at that time worked out by hand. When a 
person proposed putting up a building, he gave the blacksmith an 
order for all the nails, door-hinges, handles and all the iron work 
which would be needed. Most of the farming tools were made by 
hand, and the iron was not of the convenient size and shape of the 
present time. This house was afterwards occupied by Benjamin 
Fellows as a dwelling and wheelwright shop. About fifty years ago, 
the place came into the hands of its present proprietor. John M. 
Bailey, Esq. He was a son of Thomas Bailey, who came to Hop- 
kinton from Haverhill West Parish, Mass., and settled in the western 
part of the town. He married for his second wife the widow of 
Matthew Harvey, of Sutton. They had one child, John Milton 
Bailey, who, over fifty years ago, married Lucy P., daughter of 
Daniel Knowlton. 

Nehemiah-Colby, one of the early settlers of the town, bought 
the place next south. At his decease it passed into the hands of his 
son, Richard Colby, who for many years was sexton of the village 
cemetery. He was a devout man, and always took an active part in 
the conference meetings which were held regularly in this or an ad- 
joining district. This place is now owned by George H. Bailey, son 
of John M. Bailey. 

As we walked up the hill, my father told me that Samuel Stanley 
once owned the next place, and that he had a tan-yard there. Stan- 
ley built the house and sold it to Samuel Jewett, of Rowley, Mass. 
Mr. Jewett, popularly known as Cousin Sam, died some sixty years 
ago. The family resided on the place many years after his death. 
A new house has been built, which is now occupied by Augustus 
Hadley. Joseph Jewett, son of Samuel, built the spacious mansion 
on the east side of the road. 

As we were walking along, my father was telling me of the hard- 
ships and deprivations of the early settlers. I said to him that it 
looked strange to me how a person could accumulate property and 
build such large buildings when money was so scarce and hard to 
get. He told me that in those days people were industrious and 
economical, that they bought but little. All the cloth worn by or 



550 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

used in the family, was manufactured in the house from wool and 
flax raised on the farm. A butcher's wagon was never seen 
among them. They killed their own meat, and in hot weather 
would lend to a neighbor a quarter of veal or lamb, to be repaid 
when the next man killed his creature. The hides were tanned, and 
the shoemaker came to the house and made shoes for the' family. 

He told me an incident in the life* of one of the most wealthy and 
substantial men of the town, Daniel Chase, Esq., who told my father 
that the year he was married he worked all one stormy winter day 
and made a bushel basket. He sold it for two shillings, and with 
the money he bought a pound of coffee, which lasted his family a 
year, and that he had never since seen the time that he could buy a 
year's stock of coffee for one day's work. In those days the whole 
family worked to obtain the necessaries of life. The children early 
learned habits of industry, and their deprivations taught tbem the 
value of time and money, which was the great secret of their suc- 
cess in after life. Mr. George Symonds is the present owner of 
this place. 

The next house stands on the west side of the road, and was built 
by Enoch Long, who came from West Newbury, Mass. He was a 
cooper, and there is now in the possession of Joshua Morse, Esq., a 
vessel which was made over one hundred years ago by Mr. Long, 
holding three or four quarts, and shaped somewhat like a tankard, 
with cover and wooden hinges. The handle, upon one side, was 
carved out of one of the staves, and two hoops put through it before 
they were locked and driven down. The propriety of presenting 
this article to the Antiquarian Society in Contoocook for preserva- 
tion was suggested to Mr. Morse. 

Enoch Long was father of Enoch Long, book-binder, of whom I 
have previously spoken. This place was owned many years by 
Dea. Isaac Long, and is now in the possession of Mr. Alfred Rol- 
lins. 

Among the early settlers of the town was Eliphalet Colby, who 
settled on the next farm. His three sons went to Henniker. This 
place has been owned by Philip Brown, Isaac Smith, Nicholas 
Quiniby, and is now in the possession of Dea. John B. Sargent. 

We now come to the " school-house in the lane." This house for- 
merly stood at the northerly terminus of the Jewett road, near its junc- 
tion with the main road to Concord, and was moved to its present 
location in 1808. Many of the most pleasant memories of my early 
years cluster around this house, where we as artless children played. 
Those scenes of by-gone years often come back and yield to me 
joys both bright and fair. 

Up the lane a few rods is the farm which was early settled by 
Timothy Jewett. My father told me that while Jewett was at 
work in the field he killed a very large and fat cat. He dressed it 
nicely and sold it to a neighbor as a raccoon, saying his family were 



REMINISCENCES. 551 

not fond of wild meat. From that circumstance this lane has since 
been called Cat street. The next owner of this farm was Francis 
Proctor, and has since been owned by Wally Smith, Richard 
Hackett, from Salisbury, Mass., Philip Brown, Dea. Isaac Smith, 
and George B. Hilan, whose widow and son now reside upon it. 

Back again, down the lane and opposite the school-house stood 
an old. dilapidated building used as a cider-mill, which, with five or 
six others, were kept groaning through the autumn to supply the peo- 
ple of that neighborhood with what was then considered one of the 
necessaries of life. At that time it was not uncommon for a man 
to put into his cellar from ten to twenty barrels of cider for family 
use. A change has come over the spirit of people. Instead of us- 
ing cider as a common beverage, it is now evaporated by steam into 
transparent, bright, and wholesome jelly for culinary and table use. 
The past season one mill in Massachusetts made about 200 barrels 
per day into cider, which was evaporated into jelly and sent to the 
Boston market. This process will, in a short time, increase the 
value of cider apples, and put them to a good use. As we were 
descending the hill towards Dunbarton. my father told me that the 
place on the right was hist occupied by Green French, who for 
some time carried his corn to be ground, on his back, through the 
woods four miles, to a mill near where the St. Paul's school-buildings 
now stand. He built the first framed house in the neighborhood, 
which was frequently visited by friendly Indians, who were sumpt- 
uously fed on bread and milk. His son Benjamin succeeded him, 
and he 1 milt the house which was for many years occupied by Luther 
J. Fitch, a popular school-teacher and singing-master. This place 
is now owned by Samuel Spofford. A house and blacksmith's shop 
once stood on the east side of the road, opposite Mr. Spofford's 
house, occupied by Robert Knowlton. After a long descent down 
the hill, we came to a farm which was first owned by Parker Flan- 
ders, of South Hampton. He built a dwelling-house in 1776. which 
is now standing as an out-budding on the farm. He sold it to his 
brother. Merrill Flanders, about 1803. He lived there to the age 
of 96 years. It then passed into the hands of Philip, father of 
Parker M. Flanders, who now lives upon the farm. 

As we walked down the hill, we next came to the farm which my 
father said was owned by Josiah Smith, of Newbury. Mass.. who 
built the house now standing. It afterwards passed into the posses- 
sion of his son Moody, and from him to his son Josiah, then down to 
Gilman Smith, since owned by E. H. Edmunds, and lastly by Al- 
fred Spott'ord. Near the brook was a house built by Richard Hoit, 
which has been moved away. William Page, one of the early set- 
tlers of Dunbarton, built a saw-mill near the lines of Bow and Dim- 
barton, which site has been occupied for a mill to the present time. 
Mr. Page's son owned mills and kept a tavern at Contoocook some 



552 LIFE AWD TIMES IN HOPKXNTON. 

sixty years ago. We walked past the Dickerman house till we 
came to the old road leading back to Hopkinton, which was discon- 
tinued many years ago. On this old road was once a farm and 
buildings owned by Moses Trussell, some of whose descendants are 
now living in New London. Isaac Bailey, from Newbury, Mass., 
had a farm and buildings opposite Mr. Trussell's. As we look 
upon the place where once stood the dwelling-houses of the early 
settlers of the town, and see that nothing now remains to mark the 
spot, except an old cellar hole, grown over with thorns and briers, a 
few scattered pieces of broken bricks, and the remains of apple-trees 
winch have stood the blasts of a hundred winters, a feeling of sad- 
ness comes over us, as we think of the family which once lived here, 
of the sturdy manhood which cultivated the soil, and the graceful 
womanhood which presided over household matters. Here families 
were raised, children played their merry games, and the household 
experienced joys and sorrows as we now experience them. Natur- 
ally, sad feelings come over us as we look upon these desolate places 
and contemplate the many changes which time works upon all 
things. 

On this old road, at its junction with the highway leading from 
Jewett road to Farrington's Corner, stands a house originally owned 
by a Mr. Gould, and next by Andrew Sherburne, a worthy man. 
After his decease, it passed to his son-in-law, Aaron Smith, and is 
now owned by John Brockway. The next place towards the village 
was originally owned by Robert Rogers, afterwards by Major Will- 
iam Weeks, of Revolutionary note. A number of years ago, the 
house was burned, and two new houses built there, one occupied 
by Mr. Boutwell, the other by Mr Goodwin. Major Weeks reared 
a large family of children ; one of whom, Dea. Thomas J. Weeks, 
built a house on the Turnpike in 1830 and still lives upon the place, 
a worthy man who honors the office of deacon of the Baptist church 
in the village. Another house was built on the turnpike about 1816, 
and was occupied many years by Moses Eaton. As we walked 
along towards the village from the Major Weeks place, my father 
pointed out to me the place where was once a farm and buildings 
owned by a Mr. Collins. The house has long since gone to decay 
and the land joined to other farms. John Jewett, an early settler of 
the town, owned the next farm north. He built a house which has 
stood upon the farm as an out-building till it was burned a few 
years ago, together with the dwelling-house. Ezekiel Knowlton, of 
Manchester, Mass., next owned the place. About 1809 his son, 
Hon. Nathaniel Knowlton, built a house, such as an Englishman 
said all Yankees built, a great house to look at and a little one out 
behind to live in. He was a man of influence in town and state, 
and had the confidence of all who knew him. His widow and her 
son Martin Crowell now live upon the place. If you look across 
the broad fields of this farm towards the west, you will see a little 



REVOLUTIONARY PAPERS. 553 

red cottage house which belongs to this district. It was built about 
1819 by Dr. Steven Currier, an eminent physician of Hopkinton 
village. My tour through this district has now reached its conclu- 
sion. I have undoubtedly made mistakes, but I have endeavored 
to give a true record of men and things as they were told to me, 
without doing injustice to any one, and to relate such facts as, to my 
informer, appeared to be most prominent at that time. My object 
is accomplished if I have succeeded in awakening an interest in the 
history of the town, and an attachment, which ought never to die 
out, for the memories of generations who have gone before us, — 
memories of the men who cultivated these farms as we now culti- 
vate them, and over whose ashes the green grass now springs, the 
summer flowers bloom, and the autumn leaves fall. — men who, 
struggling with adversity, reared churches and school-houses and 
gave money from their scanty means for their support; — these men, 
with their families, went up to the sanctuary as we now go, and lis- 
tened to the earnest eloquence of Scales. Fletcher, and a long line 
of successive gospel ministers, and have followed them to that bright 
land beyond the river, where they are now progressing to a higher 
and a better life. 

Notb —Mr. Kiiowlton's story of Samuel Stacker's enlistment is also told of Michael 
Stocker. 



Revolutionary Papers. 

(The following Revolutionary papers are so identically distinct in 
character that we insert them in full in this part of our work. 
They are copied from Volume XII of New Hampshire Town 
Papers, compiled by Hon. Isaac W. Hammond.) 

Enlistment Papers, 1776. 

Hopkinton Septem 1 " 17, 1776. 
We the Subscribers do volintarly inlis into the Continall army 
to sarve at new york till the first Day of December next insuing 
to Sarve as Solders under the Command of Such Captain and See 
Boltens as Shall Be appointed By the Field Officers of this Rige- 
ment as witness our Hands 

William Darling Fzekiel Straw Jacob Hoyt 

Timothy Darling Nathaniel Kimball Benj Bach dr Darling 

William Godfree Sargent Currier 

Elias gould Gideon Gould 

Depositions Relative to Service in the Army. 

Then Jacob Tucker of Warner Thomas Story William Clement 
Joseph Standley Thomas Bigsford Abner Colby Joseph Putney 



554 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Ebenezer Eaton of Hopkinton all in the State of New Hampshire 
and County of Hillsborough yeomen Parsonally appeared and Being 
Duly Examined and Corshened maid Solem Oath that thay Sarved 
as Soldiers in Cap 1 William Stilsons Company and Colo Isaac 
Wymans Rigement at mount independence in the year 1776 and 
that thay Never Receivd any Saus money for the whole of the 
time that thay were in Said Wymans Rigement and that for the 
month of November thay Never Received any wages nor travil 
money Horn Direct nor inderect. 

Examined and Sworn before 

Joshua Bayley Jus' Peac 

Hopkinton Novemb. 7 : 1777. 

Certificate of Soldiers Mustered, 1781. 

This May Certify that Tim- V Farnham Abraham Currier John 
Eaton has this 5 Day of April pas d Muster for the Town of Hop- 
kinton for three years & Benj" Cresey the 6 april pas d Muster for 
three years for the town of Hopkinton & that Ephrim Hildreth, 
Sam 1 French, Michael Stocker, John Robinson has pas d Muster for 
the Town of Hopkinton Dureing war with great brittain all Mus- 
tered at Amherst ye 5, &, 6, of April 1781. 

Moses Nichols M Master 

To whom it may concearn 

Enlistments, 1781. 

Hopkinton September 20 : 1781. 
S r agreeable to your orders I have inlisted Seven Men to Serve 
three months theare names as follows 

Moses Colby Stephen Putney Samuel Eastman 

Richard Smith Moody Clement Daniel Stickney Jur. 

of Hopkinton and David Stickney of Concord 
the men have marched this day 

Joshua Bayley 
To Col Thomas Stickney of Concord 

Petition of Joseph, Marsh, Soldier, 1787. 

Your Petitioner Humbly Sheweth that he Inlisted into Cap' 
Daniel Runnels Company and Cor 1 Nathaniel Peabodys Rigement 
in the years Sarvice in the Expedition at Rhode Island in the year 
1778 and when he received bis wages it was of but Very little 
value to what the same was when he Inlisted .... 

Hopkinton June 13, 1787 

Joseph Marsh 



REVOLUTION A i;\ PAPERS. 555 

Petition of Samuel French, Soldier : addressed to the General 

( 'ourt, 1787. 

Humbly shews Samuel French of Hopkinton in the County of 
Hillsborough and State aforesaid, that he your Petitioner in the 
year 1781 Inlistecl into the Continental Service in Cap' Moses Dns- 
tins Company and proceeding on his march to White plains, from 
thence I was ordered to March to Mohawk River and was there 
taken by the Indians and carried beyond Canada and lias remained 
a prisoner ever since June 1782 until March last, when he returned 
Home — for all which he has received no compensation Wherefore 
your Petitioner Humbly prays that this Honh 1 Court would take 
his ease under their wise consideration and make him such compen- 
sation as they in their wisdom shall think fit 

Concord June 14 lh 1787. 

Samuel French. 

March y e 17 1783 
I due here by certify at Samuel French Hath fuly payed for His 
Redemsian from the Indians 

John Camhill 

Hopkinton June 20 th 1787 
This may Sartify that Samuel French of Hopkinton was taken 
by the Indians Sum Time in June in the year 1782 at the Little 
falls in Moohook River according to the best Integence we had 
Being Soulders Stationed at Saratoge the same year 

Timothy Farnham 
John S. Farnham 

Meredith September the 1 1787 

this is to Certify that Samuel french was taken By the indens at 
the Little falls of the mohock River he Belongin to Cap' Bells 
Company in the 2 N H Rigment with me 

Oliver Smith 

Pursuant to a vote of the General Court passed Feb v 1 st 1788, 
I have entered Samuel French in the Depreciation Books for four 
years wages, commencing June 1782, amounting to Ninety Six 
pounds. Interest to be paid annually. 

Attest J. Gilman 

Exeter Feb? 15 th 1788— 

Petition of Elijah Smart, Soldier, 1791. 

State of New Hampshire 
To the Hon 1 ' 1 General Court now setting at Concord 

The Petition of Elijah Smart Humbly sheweth, that in the year 
1777 he enlisted for three years in Cap' Nat. Hutchen's Company 



556 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

in Col Cilleys Eig mt and in the year 1778 was taken sick in the 
Camp, of the Yellow fever and Carried to the Hospital at Valley 
forge and from thence was removed to the Hospital at the Yellow- 
Springs, where he had the mortification in one of his feet which 
Occationed the loss of several of his toes .... 

Elijah Smart 
Hopkinton Jan. 19 : 1791 

Hopkinton Men in the First New Hampshire Regiment. 

Daniel Cressy, entered April 10, 1777 ; discharged April 10, 
1779. 

Moses Colby, entered April 4, 1777 ; discharged April 4, 1780. 

Ephraim Cross, entered April 16, 1777 ; discharged 1780. 

John Chadwick, entered April 6, 1777; discharged April 5, 
1780. 

John T. Connor, entered April 8, 1777; discharged April 5, 
1780. 

Ebenezer Collins, entered April 6, 1777 ; discharged October, 
1777. 

Benjamin Cressey, entered April 6, 1781 ; discharged March 17, 
1782. 

Alva Currier, entered April 5, 1781 ; discharged December, 
1781. 

Joseph Eastman, entered April 10, 1777 ; discharged October 
30, 1777. 

John Eastman, entered April 10, 1777 ; discharged July 8, 1777. 

John Eastman, Jr., entered May 6, 1779 ; discharged 

John Eaton, entered April 5, 1781 ; discharged December, 1781. 

John S. Farnham, entered May 5, 1779 ; discharged December, 
1781. 

Timothy Farnham, entered April 5, 1781 ; discharged 

Enoch Hoit, entered July 3, 1777 ; discharged July 2, 1780. 

Ephraim Hildreth, entered April 5, 1781 ; discharged December, 
1781. 

Jona Judkins, entered April 10, 1777 ; discharged April 10, 
1780. 

James Lamb, entered March 10, 1777 ; discharged March, 1780. 

Samuel Stocker, entered April 10, 1777; discharged March 7, 
1780. 

David Smith, entered April 10, 1777 ; discharged August 4, 
1778. 

Elijah Smart, entered April 7, 1777 ; discharged April 10, 1780. 

Caleb Smart, entered April 7, 1777 ; discharged April 10, 1780. 

Jona. Sawyer, entered April 4, 1777 ; discharged April 5, 1780. 



EUPHONIOUS NAMES. 557 

(In his personal notes upon the foregoing papers, Mr. Hammond 
observes that Stephen Hoyt, of Hopkinton, made oath before 
Joshua Bayley that he served in Capt. William Stilson's company 
at "mount independent" in 1776. Reuben Trussel, who was 
wounded at Bennington, was allowed £23, 12, 4, for doctors' bills, 
etc., on the 31st of October, 1778, being also placed on half-pay 
from September 19, 1777. Some of the soldiers of the First Reg- 
iment were in it again in 1782 and 1783.) 



Euphonious Names. 

Amesbury River, another name for Warner river, which enters 
Hopkinton to become a tributary of the Contoocook river, is so 
called because the early name of the town of Warner was New 
Amesbury, on account of the settlers in that town from Amesbury, 
Mass. 

Back Road, the ancient road running from the Putney Hill school- 
house to Gould's hill, so called possibly in contradistinction from 
the main road to Contoocook on the other side of the hill. 

Basset Mill Road is the highway originally running from Con- 
toocook to Basset's mill in Weare, and thence to Goffstown. 

Beech Hill in the east part of the town is supposed to be named 
for the beech tree. 

Blackwater River enters Hopkinton from Webster to become a 
tributary of the Contoocook river. The name Blackwater is an old 
one of rivers. There is at least one Blackwater river in England 
and one in Ireland. Blackwater district in Hopkinton lies along 
the course of the Blackwater river. 

Bound Tree, a white oak marking the spot where the division 
of lines between Hopkinton and Henniker occurs on the southern 
boundary of Warner. This tree is specified in the incorporating 
charter of Hopkinton as a " white oak tree with stones about it, 
spotted on four sides, and marked with the figure 6 on the westerly 
side, and the numerical letter V on the easterly side." This tree 
was struck by lightning a few years ago and somewhat damaged. 

Brier Hill is a small eminence about a mile north of Hopkinton 
village on the Webster road. It is so called from the local abun- 
dance of brambles. 



558 LIFE AND TIMES LN" HOPKUSTTON. 

Buswell's Corner is a district in the north-east part of the 
town, named from the Buswell family. 

Buswellville is another name for Buswell's Corner. 

Camp Meadow is mentioned in the early records of Hopkinton, 
and is of uncertain location, but is presumed to have been an early 
camping-place of settlers. 

Chessemore Bog is the old name of the morass near the village 
of Davisville on the road from Contoocook to that village. A Mr. 
Chessemore once lived near this spot. 

Clement's Brook is the outlet of Clement's pond into Contoocook 
river. 

Clement's Hill is a ridge of land in the north-west part of Hop- 
kinton, named for the Clement family. 

Clement's Pond, in the north-west part of Hopkinton, named for 
the Clement family, is the same as Clough's pond. 

Clough's Pond, in the north-west part of Hopkinton, named for 
the Clough family, is the same as Clement's pond. 

Cloughville, a frequent place, of resort in the north-west part 
of the town, is named for being the home of the Clough family. 

Cold Spring, a picnic-ground at West Hopkinton, is so called 
on account of the cold waters of a local spring. 

Common Meadows, a name mentioned in the early records of 
Hopkinton, is supposed to refer to the Great Meadows. 

Contoocook, the naine of Hopkinton's river and of its north vil- 
lage, is an Indian name, said to mean crow-place. 

Currier's District lies between Putney's hill and Beech hill, and 
is so called from the former residence there of George W. Currier. 
It was once a school-district. 

Davisville Road was the former name of a school-district be- 
tween Contoocook and Davisville in Warner. 

Dimond's Hill is partly in Hopkinton and partly in Concord, and 
is named for the family of Dimond. 



EUPHONIOUS NAMES. 559 

Dolloff's Brook is a large tributary of the Contoocook, and is 
named for Joseph Dolloff, who once lived on its bank in the Bus- 
well's Corner district. 

Dolly's Cove is an enclosure of water close to a bend in the 
Contoocook river, about a mile and a ball' above the village of Con- 
toocook. It would seem that the cove was once a sharp bend in the 
river, which has since cut a new and shorter channel. 

Dow's Brook is a small tributary of the Contoocook river, and is 
named for the family name of Dow. It skirts Contoocook village 
on the east, and is latterly called Hardy's brook, from running near 
the house of the late George B. Hardy. 

Dustin's Brook is a small tributary of the Contoocook river, and 
is named for the Dustin family. It is about a mile and a half above 
Contoocook village, flowing into the river on the south side. 

Emerson's Hill is between Contoocook and West Hopkinton, and 
is named for the family of Emerson. 

Farrington's Brook is in the south-east part of Hopkinton, and 
is named for the Farrington family. 

Farrington's Corner is a district in the south-east part of Hop- 
kinton, and is named for the Farrington family. 

Fletcher House is the ancient house about a mile east from 
Hopkinton village towards Concord, and once the home of Rev. 
Elijah Fletcher, second minister of Hopkinton. 

Frog Pond is the name of a natural morass in Hopkinton village, 
once abounding with frogs, but now drained and cidtivated. 

Gage's Hill, or district, is situated at the southern extremity of 
Putney's hill, and is named for the Gage family. 

Grassy Pond, in the north-west part of Hopkinton, is so called 
because of the large quantity of aquatic grass once growing in it. 

Great Meadows is the name of the extensive range of low-lands 
in Sugar hill and Stumpfield in the westerly part of Hopkinton. 

Gould's Hill is the northern brow of Putney's hill, and is named 
for the Gould family. 

Hardy's Corner is a district in the extreme north-west part of 
Hopkinton, and is named for the Hardy family. 



560 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Hardy's Springs is the name of a collection of mineral springs 
in the north-west part of Hopkinton, and once upon the land of Isaac 
Hardy. 

Hatfield is a district in the south-west part of Hopkinton, and 
is supposed to be named from Hatfield, Mass., from which some of 
the early residents of the district came. 

Hawthorne's Hill is a slight elevation just east of Hopkinton 
village, and is named for the Hawthorne family. 

Henniker New Bridge, the most westerly bridge over the Con- 
toocook river in Hopkinton, so called for being on the more recent 
and shorter highway between Hopkinton and Henniker. 

Hill's Bridge was the same in location as the present highway 
bridge across the Contoocook river at the village of Contoocook. It 
was named for Moses Hill, an early resident and mill-owner, whose 
name is often spelled Hills in the town records. 

Hill's Bridge was an early name of Contoocook village, and 
is derived from the bridge named for the family of Hill. 

Hoyt's Hill is about a mile from Hopkinton village on the South 
road, and is named for the family of Hoyt. 

Indian Camp was on the brook leading from the present Chase's 
tannery in Hopkinton village, and a few rods below the highway in 
the field now owned by Horace Edmunds. Till a few years ago, a 
large rock cleft in such a way as to aid in providing shelter marked 
the place of Indian Camp. 

Irish Hill is the elevation at the terminus of the Tenny road, and 
is so named for the different Irish families that have lived on it. 

Jewett Road is a district in the south-east part of the town, and 
is named for the Jewett family. 

East's Hill is at West Hopkinton, and is named for the family of 
East : same as MacHard hill. 

Eimball's Cove is about a mile down the river from Contoocook 
village, and near the house of the late Hazen Eimball. 

MacHard Hill is the same as East's hill. It was named for 
James MacHard, an early resident of the locality, noted for his 



EUPHONIOUS NAMES. 501 

exceptional wealth in his clay, which was an early one in the history 
of Hopkinton. 

Main Road is the main road from Hopkinton village to Concord. 

Mills' Pond once flowed the present Mills' meadow, and was 
named for the family of Mills. The outlet of this pond furnished 
power for the first grist-mill of Hopkinton, it being just east of the 
village, owned by Nathaniel Clement. Later, Philip Brown in- 
creased the supply of water by an artificial conduit from Smith's 
pond. 

Mt. Lookout is a recent name for Gould's hill, the place of the 
Lookout. 

Mud Pond is a muddy reservoir of water at Cloughville, and not 
far from Clough's or Clement's pond. 

New Road is the name of a highway between Hopkinton and 
Dunbarton, and the same of one between Hopkinton and Concord, 
on account of their comparatively recent construction. 

Old Mill is the name of the ancient mill-site at the end of the 
path that runs continuously from the village lane. It has been a 
frequent resort of pleasure-seekers. 

Old Mill Yard is the space in front of the old works on the 
river at Contoocook on the south side of the stream. 

Old Parsonage is the name of the old unoccupied house on 
Putney's hill, built for the Rev. James Scales, the first minister of 
Hopkinton, and now owned by the descendants of Moses Rowell. 

Old Road, the track of a former highway from Stillman B. 
Gage's, on Putney's hill, to Horace Edmunds's, at Hopkinton village, 
once a leading thoroughfare. 

Paige's Corner is the name sometimes given to the junction of 
roads near John W. Paige's, on the new road to Concord. 

Paul's Brook is a large tributary of the Contoocook river in the 
westerly part of the town, and is probably named for a man or 
family. 

Poor's Bridge once crossed the Contoocook river near the present 
dam at Contoocook village. It was named for Eliphalet Poor, the 
first mill-owner at Contoocook. 
35 



562 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

Putney's Hill is a prominent one in the central part of Hopkinton, 
and is named for the Putney family. 

Rolfe's Pond is in the north-west part of Hopkinton, and is prob- 
ahly named for the Rolfe family. 

Powell's Bridge is the river bridge at West Hopkinton, and is 
named for the Rowell family. 

Rowell's Bridge is the old name of the district of West Hop- 
kinton; it originated from the local residence of the Rowell family. 

Rowell's Hill is sometimes the name of the southern brow of 
Putney's hill, because of the once local residence there of the 
Rowell family. 

Sibley's Brook runs along the eastern slope of Putney's hill and 
across land once owned by Stephen Sibley. 

Smiley's Mill and district were once the grist-mill and district of 
West Hopkinton, and were named for the family of John Smiley. 

Smith's Pond is located close to Hopkinton village on the south- 
west, and is named for James Smith, who once lived near it. 

South Road is a road and district south of Hopkinton village 
and extending towards Weare. 

Spofford's Brook is in the south-easterly part of Hopkinton, and 
once furnished power for Spofford's lumber mill. 

Stanley's Cove is in the Contoocook river, about a half mile 
above Contoocook village, and is named for the Stanley family. 

Story's Hill is an old name of Irish Hill, once the residence of the 
Story family. 

Stumpfield is the name of a district in the westerly part of 
Hopkinton, and is supposed to have been derived from the former 
prevalence of stumps. 

Sugar Hill is not a hill properly speaking, but a district about 
two miles westerly from Hopkinton village. It was once noted for 
the fertility of its soil, which fact may have suggested its name, or 
it may have been named for the prevalence of the sugar maple. 



EUPHONIOUS NAMES. 563 

Tenny Road runs from South road to Irish hill, and is named for 
the family of Tenny. 

The Fort is the name of the present residence of George W. 
Mills, in Hopkinton village, westerly. It was once the home of 
Moses Cross, who had charge of the guns of his military company 
when they were not in service. He also erected a cannon on the 
ledge where the house is located, and fired it on public occasions. 
For these reasons Moses Cross was popularly called Major. 

The Grove is a small piece of woodland, just north of Hopkin- 
ton village, on land now owned by Horace G. Chase. It has long 
been a favorite resort for pleasure parties. 

The Lookout is a wood on the northern brow of Putney's hill. 
Two origins of the name have been described. The most proba- 
ble one ascribes the name to the early habit of using the brow of 
the hill as a lookout for distant Indians, whose location could be 
detected by the smoke of their fires. The other ascribes it to the 
supposed appearance of spectral phenomena there. 

The Plain is the old name of the site of the village of Hopkin- 
ton and of the village itself. 

The Turnpike is the later common name of the Londonderry 
Branch Turnpike, running from a point near Hopkinton village to 
Hooksett. 

The Woodchuck, a tract of land about a mile below Contoocook 
village on the south side of the river, so called, probably, from some 
association with the animal of the same name. 

Training Field is a field opposite the old cemetery on Putney's 
hill which was once the place of local military drill. 

Tyler's is a bridge and district in the northerly part of Hopkin- 
ton, and is named for the Tyler family. Since the introduction of 
the railroad it has been a station. 

Way's Brook is a later name for Clement's brook, because Will- 
iam Way once lived on its bank near its outlet into Contoocook 
river. 

Winter Road is a name for a path running from near Albert 
Danforth's to Buswell's Corner. About thirty years ago there was 
a proposition to make this path a part of the highway from Hop- 
kinton to Fisherville (now Penacook). It being frequently open in 



564 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 

winter for the use of teams, and consequently more or less used by 
sleighs, it received the foregoing name. 

Whittier's Pond, which furnishes power to Whittier's mill, is 
about two miles from Hopkinton village on the Concord road, and is 
named for the Whittier brothers who operate the mill. 

Wolf Meadow is now flowed by Whittier's pond, and was so 
named for the once local prevalence of wolves. 



ERRATA. 

Page 282. In the account of the August freshet, third line, for 
the word " quiet " substitute wet. 

Page 285. In the narrative of Roger E. Perkins's wall, first 
line, for the date " 1833 " substitute 1823. 

Page 391. In the paragraph following John Hale's letter, third 
line, for the word " father " substitute grandfather. 



INDEX. 



Academy, 






Apparatus, school, early, 


238 


Contoocook, incorporated, 


204 


Aqueduct, 242 


243 


location, 




205 


Articles of Confederation, 66 


101 


opened, 


, 


205 


Artillery, heavy, soldiers of, 


167 


organized, 




204 


Association, 




subscriptions, 




204 


Ladies' Benevolent, 


193 


teachers, 




205 


Asylum, insane, $3,000 for, 


135 


Hopkinton, bell, 




204 


vote on, 


130 


burnt, 




203 


August freshet, 


282 


design, 




203 






first local students, 




201' 


Babson tavern, 


217 


incorporated, 


201 


203 


Back road, 


557 


in town-house, 


122 


201 


Bacon, John, 


304 


opened, 




201 


Bailey, Amos, bequest of, 


185 


organized, 




200 


Edwin C, 


307 


reverse, 




202 


George Gardner, 


308 


teachers, 


201 


202 


Helen Young, bequest of, 


183 


trustees, 


201 


203 


John Milton, 


306 


Adams, John Quincy, 




124 


John M., representative, 


154 


Joseph H., 




301 


Joshua, 


305 


Myron Winslow, 




301 


Thomas, 305 


306 


Samuel R., 




301 


William Wallace, 


306 


Adjutant General, report 






Baileys, Isaac, three 


308 


quoted, 




158 


Bailey's tavern, 


219 


Adjutants of Hopkinton, 




515 


Balch, Theodore E., 


308 


Advocates of Christian Fidelity, 1 ! )3 


Ballard, John Osgood, clerk, 


101 


Agriculture, character of, 




225 


sketch of, 


198 


early, 




222 


Master, school of, 198 


545 


Alarm Band, 




~60 


Ballot-boxes purchased, 


171 


List, 




200 


Ballots, opposition to railroads 


141 


Allen, Samuel, purchase of, 


85 


Band of Mercy, Bennet, 


189 


Willard, 




302 


Bank, Franklin, legacies loaned, 130 


American representatives 


151 


1513 


Baptismal pool, ancient, 


278 


town officers, 




152 


Baptist bell, 


188 


Amesbury river, 




557 


branch churches, 186 


540 


Amherst, committee sent to, 


56 


church, gifts to, 


187 


Angier, Marshal Billiard, 




302 


independent, 


186 


Ann is, Daniel, 




303 


organ, 


188 


Antiquarian Society, N. H., 9 


,215 


organized, 186 


540 



5Q6 



LIFE AND TIMES IN H0PK1NT0N. 



Baptist church, schism, 187 


541 


Boutwell, Eli A., 


315 


separates itself, 


187 


Horace L., 


314 


deacon, first, 


541 


Bow claim, 37, 39, 43 


Freewill, church organized, 


187 


dismissed, 


41 


meeting-house, first, 


187 


occupants of, 


41 


second, 


187 


settlement of, 


40 


ministers, list of, 188, 541 


542 


grant of, 


40 


parsonage, 


187 


Boys' military companies, 


246 


revival, 187, 540 


541 


sham fight, 


246 


society compensated, 


113 


Bradbury, Samuel G., 


315 


Barnard, Joseph, 309 


310 


Branch churches, Baptist, 186 


540 


Barnyard, meeting at, 


75 


Bridge, Abram Rowell's, 


94 


Barton, Charles, 


311 


Blackwater, built, 


153 


Basin, baptismah refusal of, 


51 


repaired, 


94 


Basset Mill road, 




Contoocook, covered, 


150 


122, 123, 128, 129, 130 


557 


curious vote, 


149 


Beasts, native of Hopkinton, 


8 


rebuilt, 


149 


Beech hill, 


557 


Esquire Cross, 


93 


Belfry on meeting-house, 106 


107 


Esquire Poor's, 


93 


Bell, Baptist, 


188 


"flung down," 


67 


first time rung, 


107 


Henniker New, built, 139 


159 


Freewill Baptist, 


192 


over Contoocook, 


67 


Hopkinton academy, 


201 


over Ordway's brook, 


67 


on meeting-house, 106, 


107 


place for, 


54 


to be rung when, 


120 


Rowell's, built of wood, 


148 


Bennet Band of Mercy, 


189 


Tyler's, $1,000 for, 


183 


Bennington, soldiers at, 


64 


rebuilt, 134, 148 


153 


Biennial elections, first, 


176 


Bridges, early, how built, 


94 


Biers purchased, 


136 


over Paul's brook, 


67 


Bills of Credit, 


239 


railroad, vote, 


146 


Birds, native of Hopkinton, 


8 


two, over Contoocook, 


93 


Blackwater, 


557 


Brier hill, 


557 


bridge built, 112, 


153 


British, depredations of, 


109 


repaired, 


. 94 


soldier disguised, 


110 


to Concord, road discon- 




Brockway, Fred J., 


316 


tinued, 


127 


John C, 


315 


Blaisdell, George Clarke, 


311 


Brown, Abraham, 


316 


Blanchard, Darwin Currier, 


312 


Abram, 


317 


George F., 


313 


Mrs., 


229 


Hiram, 


312 


Alpheus R., 


317 


Stephen, 


312 


Horace F., 


318 


land for cemetery, 


120 


Philip, prize of, 535, 


548 


Blinds for town-house, 


176 


Quaker, anecdote of, 


273 


Boat, ferry, size of, 


53 


Buchanan, James, 


153 


Books of U. S., provision for, 


100 


Bunker Hill, soldiers at, 


62 


school, early, 


238 


Burbank family captured 


30 


Boscawen line perambulated, 


49 


Jonathan, aid to, 


31 


takes inventory, 


232 


Burial cloths purchased, 


128 


Boundaries of Hopkinton, 3, 1J 


), 43 


customs, 


260 


Bound tree, 


557 


lot, permission to pasture, 


55 


Bounties to soldiers, 107, 


157 


lots fenced, 55, 


104 


Bouton, Tilton C. H., 


314 


given, 


55 


Boutwell, Calvin, 


314 


two, 


54 



INDEX. 



567 



Burial lots, vote to purchase, 
Burnhain, Abraham, 

Christie W., 

Edward D., 

James M., 

John, 

John Ferdinand, 

Thomas, 
Burns, Benjamin A. 
Burroughs, Eden, called, 
Burving-yard, village, land for 
104,105, 137, 138, 139, 
Buswell, Benjamin, 
BuswelPs Corner, 
Buswellville, 
By-laws, Inspector of, 



55 
322 
322 
321 

321 
319 
.".•21 
319 
322 



142 
323 
558 

558 
233 



Csesar, slave, 272 

Call, Royal, 323 

Campbell, Harvey, 324 

Jonah, . 208, 323 

Camp Meadow, 23, 558 

Capital punishment, vote on, 139 
Capital, state, committee on, 116 

located, 114 

Captures, Indian, 30, 32. 

Carlton, Michael, 324 

Carpet, first in town, 253 

Carr. Frank H., 325 

Carrigain's map, 113 

Cattle, distrained for taxes, 81 

shows, early, 225 

Cavalrv, first regiment, soldiers 

of, 167 

Caverno, Arthur, 325 

Cemetery, Clement's hill, 

fenced, 

title, 

Contoocook, land for, 

new, fenced, 

private lots sold, 

Stumpfield, fence, 

title to land examined, 

village, fence repaired, 

95, 104, 176 
Census, increase and decrease, 126 

in early times, 96 

Centennial, Congregational, 186 
Central House, Contoocook, 
Central musical society, 
Cent Society, 

Certificates, soldiers', 1781, 
Cbadwick, Hiram, 



136 
120 
175 
170 
142 
101, 176 
170 



218 
237 
1 85 
554 
295 



Chandler, Isaac, 326 

Isaac H., 328 

William S., 327 

Chaplains of Hopkinton, 515 

Charity Fund, Female, 12!) 

Charlestown, soldiers at, 63 

Chase, Baruch, 328 

Benjamin Wiggin, 329 

Enoch, 333 

Enoch J., 333 

family, affliction, 131, 133 

Harvey, 334 

Horace, 329 

Horace Gair, 330 

Horace J., 334 

Horace Sumner, 334 

James Morse, 331 

Jonathan, 328 

Moses B., 330 

Orrin, 335 

Reginald Heber, 332 

Thomas, 335 

Cheek-list for selectmen, 153 

posted, 138 

Cheerful Workers' Mission 

Band, 188 

Chemical fire engine. 243 

Chessemore Bog, 558 

Choat. George,'' 208, 335 

Horace L., 336 

Choir, church, large, 237 
Choristers, Congregational, 

list of, 544 

Christian Endeavor Society, 189 
Christian Fidelity, Advocates 

of, 193 

Christ's Church, 189 

Church, Baptist, gifts to, 187 

Baptist, independent, 186 

Baptist, organized, 186, 540 

Baptist, schism in, 187, oil 

Baptist, separates itself, 187 

choir, large, 237 

Christ's, 189 

Episcopal, built, 190 

Episcopal, gifts to, 190 

Churches in mourning for 

President Garfield, 181 

Church, first, organized, 28 
Freewill Baptist, influence 

of, 192 
Freewill Baptist, organized, 

187, 191, 541 



568 



LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 



Church, Methodist, 




195 


built, 




196 


music, early, 




236 


New Jerusalem, 




194 


organ, Baptist, 




188 


organ Episcopal, 




190 


St. Andrew's, 




190 


service, long, 




234 


Universalist, 


193 


194 


Universalist, sold, 




194 


Cider, early use of, 




551 


Cider-mill, interest in, 




149 


Civil customs, early, 




232 


Claflin, Daniel. Sr., gratuity to 


, 21 


Clapboard machine, first, 




538 


Clark, Jacob Knight, 




336 


Clarke, Warren, 




337 


Clement, John, 




337 


Nathaniel, grant to, 




28 


Clement's brook, 




558 


hill, 




558 


cemetery fenced, 




136 


title, 




120 


pond, 




558 


Clerks of Hopkinton, 




500 


Clerk of the market, 




233 


Clerks, town, to record deeds, 


134 


Clock-case, first made in town 


251 


Clocks, ancient, 




251 


Clock, tall, first in town, 




252 


town, 




184 


Cloth, ancient, how made 


, 


252 


Clough, Benjamin C, 




339 


Charles F., 




339 


Gilman, 




340 


Moses Tenny, 




338 


Phineas, 


338 


339 


Clough's pond, 




558 


Cloughville, 




558 


mills at, 




228 


Clough, William, 




339 


Cochran, Sally, murdered 




131 


Cockburne, Admiral, procla- 




mation, 




109 


Colby, Isaac, 




341 


Melvin, 




341 


Moses, 




340 


Moses, representative, 


140 


142 


Samuel, representative, 


140 


141 


Timothy, Jr., representative 


,152 


William, 




341 


Cold Friday, 




281 


Spring, 




558 



Cold Year, the, 222 

Water Phalanx, 207 

Collectors of Hopkinton, 

503, 507, 508 
Coller, Edwin S., 342 

Collins, David O., 342 

Col. Putnam Post, 212 

Colonels of Hopkinton, 514 

Commissioners from Hopkin- 
ton, 499 
Committee for townships, 13 
highway, petition against, 113 
of Safety, 58, 60 
on coui't-house, 89 
on ministerial taxes, 81 
School, report printed, 138 
to instruct delegates, 68 
to instruct representatives. 68 
to sell town farm, 172 
Common Meadows, 558 
flowed, 24 
Concert singers, list of, 544 
Concord & Claremont Railroad, 7 
Concord and Hopkinton stage, 241 
Concord & Peterborough Rail- 
road, 7 
Concord, influence on trade, 231 
Concord to Blackwater, road 

discontinued, 127 

Congregational centennial, 186 

choristers, list of, 544 

inhabitants taxed, 92 

ministers, list of, 184 

Society, Second, 185 

town-meeting minutes, 85, 87 

town-meeting warrants, 84, 86 

Conner, Charles J., 343 

Connor, James M., 344 

Constitution accepted, 68 

committee to examine, 68 

convention of 1792, 91 

U. S. convention, 94 

Contoocook, 558 

academy incorporated, 204 

location, 205 

opened, 205 

organized, 204, 205 

subscriptions, 204 

teachers, 205 

bridge covered, 150 

curious vote, 149 

rebuilt, 149 

cemetery, land for, 175 



INDEX. 



569 



Contoocook Cornet Band, 

early mills, 

Engine Company, 

first post-office, 

high schools, 

in early times, 

later mills, 

Library, 

post-masters, 

railroad open to, 

river, 5 

road to Goffstown, 

school district divided, 

telephone office, 

town-meeting at, 

village, 
Controversies, highway, ex- 
plained, 
Cooking, ancient, 
Cook, Rev. Mr., sermon, 
Copps. Moses, 

Rufus P., 
Corliss, Eben, 
Corn and grain purchased, 
Corner-stone, Masonic, 
Cornet Band, Contoocook, 

Hopkinton, 
Corn-mill, first, 28, 226, 

Council on Jacob Cram, 
County, division of, voted, 117, 

farm opposed, 143, 170, 

new, vote, 
Court-house, committee on, 

description of, 

votes to improve, 

vote to locate, 
Courts held in Hopkinton, 
Cram, Jacob, 

accusations against, 

called, 

council on, 

dismissed, 

dues of, paid, 

ordained, 

recommended, 

trouble with, 
Cream, sale of, 
Creassy, Benjamin, suit of, 
Criminalities, ancient, 
Criminal whipped, 
Crosby and Gage, petition re- 
jected, 
Cross, Esquire, bridge, 



208 
227 
243 

242 
204 
547 
228 

211 
514 

i n; 

. 20 
L22 
136 
242 

173 



241 
251 
156 
344 

345 

345 

225 

209 

208 

208 

229 

82 

118 

176 

117 

89 

89 

88 

88 

88 

345 

79 

78 

82 

82 

82 

78 

82 

78 

226 

90 

255 

27: 5 

117 
93 



Cross. Lieutenant, tradition, 221 

Moses, 287 

Crowell, George E., 346 

Henry Ilamdon, 346 

Crows, bounty on, 95 

(rows' heads, vote respecting, KM 

Currency, early, '-':!!) 

depreciation of, 66, 2:'>!> 

Current expenses, $5,000 for, 

170, 171 

$5,500 for, 170 

$ 1,000 for, 17-") 

$1 for, 183 

$3,000 for, 170,175 

$2,000 for, 150,176 

Cunier, Alonzo, 352 

Amos H., 352 

Charles C, : '>~>\ 

David C, ; '<(7 

Edmund, ; !17 

Erastus E., 352 

( i eorge Washington, 349 

John, 346, 350 

John Darwin, 348 

John Francis, ■">" ,() 

Lozaro, 347 

Robert Barclay, 350 

Currier's district, 558 

Currier, Stephen, 347 

Curtice, Grovenor Austin, 353 

Samuel, 352 

Curtis, Nathaniel, agent, 130 

Cushion, refusal to purchase, 51 

Customs, civil, early, 232 

educational, 2 ; >7 

mercantile, 238 

of travel, 240 

religious, 233 

changes, 236 

Cutler, Hiram, 353 

Dairying, 225 

Danforth, Enoch, 354 

Daniels, John S., ;, '"> I 

Dark Days, 280, 281 

Date, erroneous, 11 

Davis, Abram, 354 

Amos Ilaynes. 355 

Jefferson, burned in effigy. L56 

1 >av isville road, 558 

Davis, Walter S. 355 

Deacon, Baptist, first, 5 1 1 

first, chosen, 28 



570 



LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 



Dearborn, Henry M., 
Dearborn, John J., 

Lewis H., 
Deaths, tragic, 
Debt of town cancelled, 

town, funded, 
Declaration of fidelity, 
of Independence, 
refusers to sign, 
signers of, 
Dedication of town-honse, 
Deeds, town-clerks to record, 
Deer-reeve. 
Delegate, committee to instruct, 68 
Delegates to provincial conven- 
tion, 2~ 
Democratic ascendency broken, 154 
Demonstrations, patriotic, of 

1861, l?o 

Depositions, Revolutionary, 553 
Deposits, U. S.. 
Deserters. Revolutionary, 
Dimond's hill, 
Districts and scholars, money 



357 

357 

356 

133 

183 

171 

58 

57 

60 

59 

174 

134 

233 



Dustin's brook, 559 

Dwinells, James M., 361 



65 

558 



divided, 
school, bounded by road 
nineteen, 
territorial, 
thirteen. 
Dodge, Anna, suit of, 
Henry, 
Moses E , 
William F., 
Dog, anecdote of, 
Dolloff, Joseph, 
Dolloff's brook, origin of name, 

266. 559 
Dolly's cove, 559 

Domestic customs, 249 

Door, made for what, anecdote, 295 



136 
105 
135 
135 
105 
136 
35S 
358 
358 
288 
267 



Eastman, Ezra, 
Jonathan (x., 
Timothy B., 
Eaton Benjamin. 

Harrison, 
Edmunds, Horace, 

Horace F., 
Eighteenth Regiment, soldiers 

of, 
Eighth Regiment, soldier of, 
Election, biennial, first, 
presidential, of 1856, 
of 1852, 
of 1860, 
Electors, presidential, appoint- 
ed, 
presidential. 1804, record, 
1828, record, 
first vote for, 
illegal vote. 
Eleventh Regiment, soldiers of, 
Emerson. John O., Mrs., dar- 
ing of, 
Emerson's hill, 
Emigration, 
Eminent domain. 
Engine Company, Contoocook, 
Fire King, 
Hopkinton, 
Enlisting officers chosen. 
Enlistment papers, 1776, 
Enlistments, 1781, 
Enumeration, war, 
Episcopal church, 
built, 



361 
362 
362 
362 
362 
363 
363 



Dow's brook. 
Drainage of Hopkinton, 
Drinking-houses, vote on. 
Droughts, great, 
Dufur, Porter, 
Dunbar, Elmer B., 
Duubarton, new road to, 
Dustin. Cvrus, 

Daniel P., 

Ebenezer. 

Hannah, capture and escape. 534 
scalp cloth of, 266 

Henry Daniel, 361 

Herbert C, 360 



559 
5 
149 
280 
358 
359 
121 
360 
300 
359 



gifts to, 
organ . 
Episcopalians, voted use of 

town-house, 
Episcopal ministers, list of, 
Estabrooks, Mr., killed, 
Estates, village. 
Est rays prohibited, 95, 

Evans. Lewis D , 

Nathaniel, 
Execution against town, 
Exemption of Hotel Associa- 
tion. 
of manufacturers, 175, 



166 
163 
176 
153 
149 
154 

102 

102 
125 
102 
102 
163 

277 
559 
127 

140 
243 
•244 
243 
157 
553 
554 
57 
189 
190 
190 
190 



123 
191 

32 
119 
143 
364 
363 

83 

183 
1S2 



Families of soldiers aided. 156, 157 
Family Visitor, I niversalist, 194 



INDEX. 



571 



Farmers' Cabinet, 545 

Farm stock, improved, 225 

Farm utensils, early, 252 

Farrill, Edgar T., 864 

Farrington, Samuel, 865 

Samuel P., 365 

Farrington's brook, 559 

Cornei-, 559 

Federals. 102 

Fellows, Ignatius Webber, 366 

James. 366 

James K.. 366 

Female Charity Fund, L29 

Ferry-boat, first, '>■'> 

second. 54 

Ferry, first, location of, 5 1 

Ferry given up, 68 

Ferryman, first, 53 

second, 54 

Fertilizers purchased, 225 

Field-driver, 283 

Fire, ancient, how kindled, 251 

Fire engine, chemical, 248 

Fire King Engine Company, 244 

Fireplace, ancient, 251 

Fire precinct, failure of, 2 13 

village. 243 

Fire-proof vault, 1* : '> 

Fires, by-laws repealed in part, 1 is 

committee to report on, 135, L43 

laws of Portsmouth, 122 

Fish, native, of Hopkinton, 8 

Fish-wardens in each school 

district, 183 

Fisk, Ephraim, 367 

Franklin Woodbury, 368 

Fitch, Luther J., 369 

Flagg, Samuel, 248 

Flanders, Benjamin, 371 

Daniel, 370 

Nathaniel, 370 

Parker M., 369 

Philip, 369 

Rufus P., 370 

Fletcher. Elijah, 371 

Elijah, burial expenses, 9 1 

buried by town, 9 I 

called, ' 52 

death of, 78 

liquor bill of, 256 

salary of, 52, (56 

Grace, 372 

House, 559 

Fogg, Alonzo J., 873 



Folsom, Samuel, petition of, 117 

Fort Sumter bombarded, 155 

Fort, the, 287, 563 

Foss, John, collect nr. 143 
Fourteenth Regiment, soldiers 

of, 164 
Fourth of July, celebration 

postponed, 180 

Fowler, .Jeremiah, 87 I 

Jonathan, ;, >7:'> 

Franklin Bank. 240 

legacies loaned, 130 

Free high school, controversy 

over, 178 
plan, 177 
result of, 178 
Freewill Baptist bell, L92 
church, influence of, 1 i *ii 
church organized, 187, 191, 541 
meeting-house, 192 
ministers, list of, 192 
Fremont, John C, 1"> :> > 
French, Christopher C, 377 
Eben, 376 
Edward D., 376 
Reuben, 374 
Reuben Edward, 875 
Samuel, petition of, 555 
Thomas S., 876 
Freshet of 1852, 149 
Freshets, five, 282 
Frog pond, 559 
drained, 182 
Frost, David Sidney, 377 
Fruit, early improvement of, 224 
Five. Amos, 378 
interest in cider-mill, 150 
Fuller, Ephraim Davis, 37!' 
John A., 379 
John H., 379 
Funds, public, interest dis- 
tributed, 143 

Gage, Alfred P., 382 
and Crosby, petition rejected, 117 

Charles Pinckney, 380 

David Long, 381 

Harlan P., 382 

John, descendants of, 382 

John Frederick, 381 

Gage's hill, 559 

John, road to, discontinued, 1 16 

John, way to, anecdote, 293 

Gage, Stillman B., 381 



572 



LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 



Gallery of meeting-house, 51, 67 
Garfield, James A., shot, 180 

President, public funeral, 

180, 181 
Garrisons, location of, 29 

Gates, railroad, vote, 146 

General Court, town-house for, 100 
George, Paul R., 382 

representative, 152 

Ghosts, 264 

Gilman, Trueworthy, 383 

Gilmore, Governor, proclama- 
tion, 157 
Goffstown, road from Contoo- 

cook, 122 

Goodrich, George K., 384 

Good Templars, 211 

Goold, Nathaniel, 384 

Gorges, Ferdinando, 10, 35 

Gould, Charles, 385 

Louis A., 385 

Moses, 384 

Gould's hill, 559 

Government, constitutional, be- 
gun, 69 
Revolutionary, 73 
Governor, Hopkinton man, 497 
petitioned, 32, 42, 57 
two candidates, 153 
Grain and corn purchased, 225 
Grammar school, to pay fine 

for not keeping, 56 

Grand Army of the Republic, 212 

Royal Arch Chapter, 208 

Grant, conditions of, 12, 36 

Grantees, 14, 38 

first meeting of, 14 

Masonian, 38 

Grant of Hopkinton, 11 

Grasses, native, of Hopkinton, 8 

Grasshopper Year, 281 

Grassy pond, 559 

Grave robbery, 283 

Graves, preservation of, 183, 262 

Gravestones, ancient, 260 

improvements in, 261 

inscriptions on, 260 

Great Meadow, road to, 24 

Great Meadows, 6, 559 

Greeley, Aaron, 385 

Edward H., 386 

Greene, Charles G., bequest of, 183 

Herman H., 387 

Herman Wells, 388 



Green, Samuel, 386 

Gregg, James A. D. W., 380 

Grindstone, ancient, 224 

Grist-mill, first, 28, 226, 229 



Grove, the, 




563 


Guests, presumptuous, 
dotes, 


anec- 


292 


Guide-board, ancient, 




548 


Guide-posts repaired, 
Guild, Edmund R., 




95 
389 


Gun Cotton Society, 




258 


Guns, lost, paid for, 




91 


Hale, John, 




389 


Hall, King S., 




391 


Hardon, Charles, 




392 


Hardy, Benjamin, 
Carlos F., 




393 
394 


David, 




394 


George Borlwell, 




395 


Isaac, 




394 


Jesse B., suit against, 
Samuel A., 




128 
396 


Hardy's Corner, 




559 


Hardy Springs, 
Tyler B., 
William Harrison, 


5, 


560 
394 
395 


Woodbury, 




396 


Harriman, Stephen, 
Harrington, Chaiies Edward, 


396 
397 


Harris, John, 




398 


Harvey, Clarence A., 
John M., 




401 
401 


Matthew, 




399 


William F., 




402 


Hatch, Roger C, 
Hatfield, 




402 
560 


Haverhill, Mass., Indians at- 




tack, 




534 


Hawthorne, Carlos G., 




404 


Hawthorne's hill, 




560 


Hay-scales, early, 
Hearse-house at Contoocook, 


240 

148 


Hearse sold, 




175 


Hearses, two, purchased, 


145 


176 


Heavy Artillery, First, soldier 
of, 


167 


Henniker New bridge, 
New bridge built, 


139 


560 
169 


road, compromise, 
road to, discontinued, 


138 


139 
148 


road to, opposed, 
wanted, 




137 
114 


Highland House, 




219 



INDEX. 



573 



High schools at Contoocook, 204 
Highway, Baptists paid for, 

113, 114 
committee, petition against, 113 

241 
183 
183 



114 
25 
24 



controversies explained, 
districts restored, 
districts, six, 

Hopkinton to Henniker, 
wanted, 
Highways, ancient, 

cleared, 

Highway surveyors' warrants. 155 
taxes, portion abated, 144, 145 
tax, winter, assessed, 118, 123 
to John Gage's discontinued, lit) 
village, to Contoocook, 105 

Hill, Moses, 405 

Hillsborough county incorpo- 
rated, 42, 55 
towns of, 87 
Hill's bridge, 560 
improved, 128, 135 
rebuilt, 136 
secured. 100 
stone abutment, 106 
Hills of Hopkinton, 4 
Hog-reeve, 2"> 3 
Hog-reeves, twenty, 149 
Holmes, Calvin, shot by luna- 
tic, 284 
William, 105 
Homestead exemption, vote on, 14>' 
Hook, James M., 406 
Hopkins, Adoniram J., 406 
Hopkinton academy, bell of, 201 
burnt, 203 
design, 203 
first local students, 2(>2 
incorporated, 201, 203 
opened, 201 
organized, 200 
reverse, 202 
teachers, 201, 202 
trustees, 201, 203 
Hopkinton and Concord stage. 241 

208 

243 

22 

12 

96, 126 

97 

216 



Cornet Band, 
Engine Company, 
granted to whom, 
petition of, 
prominence of, 
thrift in 1800, 
Times, 
village, 
Village Library, 



214 



Hotel Association exempted. 183 

House for meetings repaired, 50 

of Correction, 129 

rules of, 139 

Houses, early, 2 19 

set by compass, 251 
Howard, Daniel E., enlisting 

olticer, 157 

Lewis, |o7 

Howe, Kufus s.. U)7 

Hoyt. James, to defend suit, 154 

Moses French, 408 

Iloyt's hill, 560 

Hubbard, John, 408 

Hunt. Charles, 408 

Huntoon, Ora M., 409 

Hiiskings, ancient, 253 

Inauguration of Jackson, 125 
Incantations against witch- 
craft. -2114 
Incorporating Charter, -43 
Incorporation, cost paid, 49 
Independent and Times, 216 
Indian Camp. 9, 33, 560 
capture, pretended, 271 
captures, 30, 32 
legend, 268 
relics, 9 
Indians, habits of, 9 
of Hopkinton, 8 
Injunction on town-house at- 
tempted. 173 
Insane asylum, $3,000 for, 135 
vote on, 130 
Inspector of by-laws, 233 
Institute, Teachers', appropria- 
tion, 143, 144 
Interest, illegal assessment of, 144 
Inventory blanks, 182 
oath. " 136 
questions, 137 
Irish hill, 560' 

Jackson, Andrew, 124 

inauguration of, 125 

Jail in Hopkinton, 90 

mob at, 131 

Jefferson, Thomas, 103 

Jewett road, 560 

early residents, 548 

school, bequest to, 183 

Johnson, Samuel, 409 

Jones, John, empowered, 14 



574 



LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 



Jones, John F., 


410 


Laconia, patent of, 10, 35 


John, gratuity to, 


21 


Ladies'Benevolent Association, 193 


Jonathan, 


410 


Lafayette, visit of, 282, 546 


Judges of Probate from Hop- 




Land, common, cleared, 107 


kinton, 


499 


Laws, early military, 60 


Junior Mission Band, 


188 


Law-suits, ministerial, ruled out, 83 
Laws, voted in force, 69 


East's hill, 


560 


Lawyers, earlv 247 


Kearsarge Farmers' Club, 


225 


in 1800, 97 


Kearsarge Independent, 


216 


in 1820, 547 


Kearsarge Lodge, 


211 


Leach, Andrew, jailer, 131 


Kelley, Frederick H., 


411 


Mrs., appeals to mob, 132 


Joseph, acts relating to, 


55 


Legacies, Lerned, accepted, 129 


Stephen, 


411 


Legislature meets in Hopkin- 


Kempton, Willard H., 


411 


ton, 89 


Kent, Wm. A., et al., petition 




Lerned, Catharine S., fund 


referred, 


128 


given, 138 


Ketchuni, George H., 


411 


Ebenezer, 426 


Silas, 


412 


Ebenezer, executor discharged, 


Kezar, Charles N\, 


413 


129 


Kimball, Aaron, anecdote of, 


258 


Ebenezer, first educated 


Aaron Newton, 


416 


physician, 248 


Abraham, 32 


,414 


Ebenezer, will, 130 


Amasa, 


415 


legacies accepted, 129 


and Putney, captured, 


32 


Library, Contoocook, 214 


Benjamin Ober, 


415 


early public, 213 


Betsey T., Mrs. 


229 


Hopkinton Tillage, 214 


Clarion H., 


423 


Sanborn Adelphi, 213 


David, 


416 


Licenses, taveners', 257 


Elbridge Gerry, 


421 


Lieutenant-Colonels of Hop- 


Frank A., 


421 


kinton, 515 


George A. S., 


420 


Light Infantry, , 207 


Hazen, 


422 


Liquor Agent appointed 171 


Horatio, 


415 


Liquor Agent dispensed with, 


Iddo K., 


420 


155, 170, 171, 176 


John S., 


418 


Liquor law, optional, adopted, 176 


John Stevens, 


419 


Liquors, ancient use of, 256, 546 


Kate P., project of, 


220 


to prohibit sale of, 144 


Moses, 


417 


Literary fund, interest applied, 123 


Reuben, 


414 


principal used, 153 


Robert R., 


419 


Little, William, 428 


• Sullivan Cicero, 


422 


Londonderrv Branch Turn- 


AVarren C, 


421 


pike, 111, 112 


Kimball's cove, 


560 


Long, Enoch, 430 


garrison, location of, 


29 


Isaac, 428, 430 


King George's war, 


29 


Memorial Building, 216 


Kitchen utensils, ancient, 


252 


Stephen H., 429 


Knowlton, Ariel Parish, 


425 


William H., 428 


Daniel Stocker Coffin, 


425 


Lookout, the, 264, 563 


Francis Proctor, 


425 


Lord, Charles, 431 


George Hartwell, 


426 


Philanda M., 431 


Josiah Smith, 


426 


Lot, minister's, 13, 18, 36 


Nathaniel, 


424 


school, 13, 18, 36 



INDEX. 



575 



Lots, original, location of, 17 

private, sold in cemetery, 142 

relocated, 24,25 

Love, disappointed, story of, 278 

Lovejoy, Arthur P., 131 

Loveren, Benjamin, 132 

Lumbering, early, "» : '7 

second period, 538 

Lumber machines, 539 

rafts, 539 

town farm, to fence cemetery, 1 7 1 

Luxuries, early, 253 

Lyceum Hall secured, 175 

Lyford, Francis Hubbard, 432 

McAllister, Hugh, executor, 130 

MacHard hill, 560 

Mails, how sent, 242 

Main road. 561 

Majors of Hopkinton, 515 

Manchester, influence on trade 23 1 

Manufactories exempted, 175, 182 

Manufactures in 1889, 229 

in 1791, 226 

miscellaneous, 227 

silk, 229, 130 

Manufacturing towns built up, 539 

Man whipped by women, 275 

Map of New Hampshire, 113 

Market, clerk of, 233 

Marriage notice, last, 259 

sudden and singular, 267 

Marsh, Joseph, petition of, 554 

Martial music, 207 

Mason ian grant, 36 

conditions of, 36 

grantees, 36 

proprietors, twelve, 35 

rights, division of, 38 

Masonic Hall, 209 

Mason, John, 10, 35 

John Tufton, claim of, 35 

Masonry in Hopkinton, 208 

Mast Yard, 537 

Matrimonial customs, 2.1!) 

Mayflower, pilgrims of, 10 

Meadow, Camp, 23 

Great, road to, 21 

Meadows, Common, flowed, 24 

Meadow, town farm, cleared, 153 

Measures and weights, 95, 103, 104 

described, 104, 240 

Medals for best wool, 223 

Medicines, early, 248 



Meeting, first, of grantees, min- 
utes, 15 
Mc<'tiiig-hoiise,appropriation, 26,49 
Baptist, second, 187 
belfry and bell on, 106,107 
burned, 74 
committee to locate, 50, 73, 75 
dimensions of, 27, 49, 76 
Easterly, 86 
Freewill Baptist, 192 
gallery, 51, 67 
grant for, 26 
location of, 49, 50, 51, 73, 75 
moved, 106 
obligation to build, 13, 37 
pews, 51, 184 
pulpit, 51, 184 
reports of location, 74, 75 
in 1800, 97 
suspects of burning, 77 
town relinquishes, 135 
votes for location of, 75 
wather-cock, 184 
Westerly, 86, 185 
windows. 51 
Mellen, Henry, et al., protest of, 21 
Henry, gratuity to, 21 
Memorial Building, Long, 216 
Day, $ 100 for, *~ 182 
services, first, 286 
Men, six, the, 22 
ten, the, 26 
Mercantile customs, 238 
Merchants, early locations, 98, 230 
Merrill, Charles, 435 
Isaac, 433 
Isaac D., 434 
Isaac D., representative, 150, 151 
Parker, 435 
Merrimack county, half shire- 
town, 136 
county, towns of, 119 
Messages, early, how sent, 241 
Methodist church, 195 
church built, 196 
ministers, 196 
Mexican war, soldiers of, 145 
Militia, bounty to, 91 
boy's, 246 
classed in regiments, 206 
companies, 207 
laws, 60, 206 
Military customs, 244 
equipments, 245 



576 



LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 



Military parade, 245 

provisions for, 247 

skill. 245, 285 

Milk, sale of, 226 

Mill, first, 16 

Mills at Cloughville, 228 

at West Hopkinton, 227, 229 

early, at Contoocook, 227 

in 1800, 97 

later, at Contoocook, 228 

Mills' pond, 561 

Milton, John M., 435 

Minister, ancient, 234 

Ministerial taxes abated, 83, 105 

Ministers, Baptist, list of, 

188, 541, 542, 
Congregational, list of, 184 
Episcopal, list of, 191 
Freewill Baptist, list of, 192 
in 1820, 547 
Minister's lot, 13, 18, 36 
lot leased, 92 
Ministers, Methodist, 196 
Xew Jerusalem church, 195 
Minister's support, divided, 103 
tax, thirty cents on poll, 105 
Ministers, Universalist, 194 
Minor pauper, provision for, 117 
Mission Band, Cheerful "Work- 
ers', 188 
Junior, 188 
Auxiliary. Woman's, 186 
Mission Circle, Woman's, 189 
Mob at jail. 131 
Moderators of Hopkinton, 500 
Montgomery, William, 436 
Moore, Francis R., 436 
Morality of town, 254 
Morgan. Frank W., 437 
Richard F., 436 
Morrill, Frank Isaac, 438 
George Washington, 438 
Jacob Martin, 438 
Jonathan M., 437 
Morse, Joshua, 439 
Joshua, protest of, 108 
Mt. Lookout, 561 
Mt. Putney House, 219 
Mud Pond, 561 
Musical Society, Central, 237 
Music, church, early, 236 
martial, 207 
Muster-fields, 245 



Xanie, curious vote respecting, 69 

Xew county, vote, 117 
Xew Hampshire Antiquarian 

Society, 215 

map of, 113 

Xew Jerusalem church, 194 

ministers, 195 

Xew road, 561 

Xewspapers, first, 545 

Xichols, George W. 440 - 

Xinth Regiment, soldiers of, 163 

Xorton, Charles H., 440 

Xorwich Cadets, visit of, 285 

Xutt, James, et al., protest of, 21 

Oath, inventory, 136 
of fidelity, petition to repeal, 62 
Oaths, selectmen to propose. 74 
Ober, Ariel P., 441 
Odd Fellows, 211 
Officials, early, 233 
Old mill, " 561 
mill-yard, 561 
parsonage, 561 
road, 561 
Ordination at Putney's garri- 
son, 29 
first, provision for, 27 
out of doors, 78 
Ordway's brook, bridge over, 67 



Page, Samuel Smith, 

tavern, 
Paige, Christopher, employed, 

Frank W., 

John, 

John W., 
Paige's Corner, 
Paige, Thomas W., 
Palladian Society, 
Pall purchased, 95, 142, 

Palmer, William, 
Parsonage, ancient, 

Baptist, 

dimensions of, 

interest divided, polls and 
estates, 103, 

interest, given to societies, 

lot leased, 
Passaconaway, 
Patriotic demonstrations of 

1861, 
Patrons of Husbandry, 



441 
218 
91 
442 
442 
442 
561 
442 
208 
143 
443 
185 
187 
250 

106 

235 

92 



155 
210 







INDEX. 


577 


Patterson, David N., 




444 


Portsmouth, alarm at, 


109 


Joab, 




443 


defence of, 


110 


Joab Nelson, 




444 


laws of, examined. 


122 


enlists soldiers, 




156 


soldiers at, 


110 


Paul's brook, bridges over 


> 


(17 


soldiers depart for, 


156 


Paul's brook, 




561 


Post, early. 


545 


Pauper accounts examined, 


127 


Post-masters, Contoocook, 


514 


farm, agent's report, 




150 


village, 


:»il 


cost, 




129 


Wi'st Hopkinton, 


514 


location of, 




129 


Post-office, first, at Contoocook 


,242 


purchased, 




129 


first at Hopkinton, 


242 


vote to purchase, 




128 


first at West Hopkinton, 


242 


minor, provision for, 




117 


Potter, Richard, first settler, 


22 


report, no record of, 




130 


gratuity to, 


21 


supported at home, 




176 


Poultry, improved, 


225 


Paymasters of Hopkinton 


> 


515 


Pound-keeper, 


238 


Pembroke murder, 




131 


Pound, votes concerning, 




Penacook Indians, 




8 


49, 56, 95 


104 


Penmanship, schools of, 




198 


Powder, town, sold, 


103 


Perkins, Bimsley, 




445 


Precinct, fire, failure of, 


243 


George H., 




446 


village, fire, 


243 


Hamilton Eliot, 




446 


Prescott, Abraham, convicted 


131 


House, 




217 


executed, 


132 


Inn, 




219 


hung in effigy. 


132 


T. Augustus, 




449 


kills woman, 


131 


Tavern, 




217 


reprieved. 


131 


Peters, William, 




449 


President calls for 75,000 men 


,156 


William, exploit of, 




273 


Garfield, churches in mourn 


. 


Petition to Benning Went- 




ing. 


181 


worth, 


3 


2,42 


Garfield's funeral observed. 




Pews sold, 


51 


106 


180, 


181 


Philomathic Club, 




215 


Presidential election, loss of 




Physicians, early, 




247 


interest, 


124 


in 1800, 




97 


of 1856, 


153 


in 1820, 




547 


of 1852, 


149 


Pierce, Benjamin, 




546 


of 1860, 


154 


Franklin. 




149 


electors appointed, 


102 


Pines, ancient, huge, 


270 


5:57 


1804, record, 


102 


Pine trees resei'ved, 37, 


269 


5:57 


1828, record, 


125 


Pioneer life, nature of, 




254 


first voted for, 


102 


Plain, the, 




563 


illegal vote, 


102 


Plan of land, 




37 


vote, 1832, 


126 


of town, 




103 


of state, 


69 


Pleuro-pneumonia, 




154 


state, first vote for, 


71 


Police, state, opposed, 




171 


Price, literal, anecdote, 


294 


Political defections, 




151 


Private schools, 


198 


Ponds of Hopkinton, 




5 


teachers of, 


198 


Poor, disposed of bv selectmen 




Prizes for best wool, 


223 


111, 


113 


120 


Prohibition of trout fishing, 


183 


person vendued, 




95 


Prohibition, vote against, 


149 


Poor's bridge, 


93, 


561 


vote for, 


144 


Poor, time to sell fixed, 




117 


Proprietors, original, list of, 


17 


Population, causes of decline, 
36 


127 


Provision for militia, 


247 



578 



LIFE AJSD TIMES EST HOPKINTON. 



Prudential school-committees, 122 

Pulpit built, 51 

Punishment, capital, vote on, 139 

Putnam, Charles, 150 

Herrick, 450 

Israel, 450 

Martin, 450 

Rufus, 451 

Putnam's tavern, 219 

Putney House, 219 

Ira Allen, . 452 

Ira A., representative, 154 

Joseph, 451 

Samuel, captured, 32 

Putney's garrison, location of, 29 

ordination at, 29 

hill, 562 

hill cemetery improved, 95 

hill, scene from, 4 

tavern, 217 

Quartermasters of Hopkinton, 515 

Quebec, soldiers at, 63 

Quimby, Elihu T., 453 

Xicholas, 453 

Quincy, Edmund, report of, 11 

Quint, Daniel I., 454 

Paces, early, 274 

Rafts of lumber, 539 

Railroad bridges, vote for, 146 

celebration, 147 

gates, vote for, 146 

lines extended, 147 

losses by, 147 

open to Contoocook, 146 

opposition to, 140 

stock taken, 146 

Raisings, ancient, 253 

Rand. Charles D., 454 

Warren S., 454 

Rattlesnake, large, killed, 276 

singular story, 276 

Rattlesnakes, pay for killing 27 

Ray, John C, 455 

Real estate, agent to convey, 144 

Record-books purchased, 49 
Records, defective, 28, 72, 130, 137 

Reed, Francis, 455 

Registers from Hopkinton, 499 

Religion, freedom of, 115 

Religious customs, 233 

changes. 236 
Reports on location of meet- 
ing-house, 74, 75 



Report, town, printed, 136, 140, 143 
Representatives, committee to 

instruct, 68. 71 

American, 151, 152 

failure to elect, 137, 150, 151, 155 
of Hopkinton, 497 

to provincial court, 68 

Republican presidential major- 
ity, 154 
Republicans, 101 
Reservation, 16, 24, 36, 40 
Restieaux, William, 456 
Revival, Baptist, 187, 540, 541 
Revolutionary deserters, 65 
government, 73 
soldiers, 62 
war rates, 60, 61 
Revolution, town warrants, 232 
Rhode Island, soldiers at, 64 
Richardson. James, 456 
Rifle Company. 207 
Rights, Masonian, division of, 38 
River, daring crossing of, 277 
Road, Henniker, compromise, 

13S, 139 
Road machine, appropriation 

for, 176 

purchased, 176 

new, to Dunbarton, 121 

to Henniker opposed, 137 

wanted, 114 

Weare, paid for surveying, 128 
Rogers, Alexander, 457 , 

Rolfe's pond, 562 

Rollins, Alfred A., 458 

Benjamin, 457 

Rowe, James C, 458 

Rowell, Abel, alleged incen- 
diary, 77, 529 
Abel, discharged, 77 
Abraham, bridge of, 94 
Benjamin, lunatic, 284 
suit, 153, 154 
Charles S., 459 
Isaac, 459 
Moses, 459 
Rowell's bridge, rebuilt of stone, 

142 

rebuilt of wood, 148 

repaired, 100 

hill, 562 

Royal, Mrs., anecdote of, 292 

Royalty, hatred of, 69 

Rumford, highway to, 15, 24 



INDEX. 



579 



Runnels, Edward G., WO 

Farnum, WO 

Rye, alarm at, II" 

Sale of town farm opposed 171 

Sanborn A.delphi Library, 213 

Dyer Hook, 161 

Frederick Glidden, 1:62 

Sargent, Abner C, 468 

John B., 10 1 

John II., 168 

Stephen Bradbury, W8 

Savory, Charles A., 10 I 

Saw-mill, first, 28, 86 

grant for, - I 

privilege, 86 

Sawyer, Daniel, I'll 

Scales, James, 166 

dismissed, 51 

ordained, 28 

remunerated, 1!' 

salary of, 27,48 

vote to settle, 27 

Scalp cloth of Hannah Dustin, Jtili 

Scholars and districts, money 

divided, 136 

School act, remarkable, 121 

apparatus, early, 238 

free high, controversy over, ITS 
free high, plan of, 177 

free high, result of, 178 

grammar, to pay hue for not 

keeping, 56 

lot, L3, 18, 86 

leased, 93 

Master Ballard's, 198, 545 

money, decrease of, 1-58 

distributed to districts, 

one third in September, 

paid to committees, 

nine pounds for, 

ninety pounds for, 

officers of Hopkinton, 

505, 50(5, 507, 508, 509 
report printed, 138 

teacher, ancient, 238 

to pay fine for not keeping, 07 
two months in town, 4!l 

voted in town-house, 93, 121 
Schools, $500 extra for, 17."> 

high, at Contoocook, 204 

s! ids for, loo 

of penmanship, L98 

petitions concerning, 104 



136 

Kir, 
L35 
L82 
135 
Hi:, 
L88 
1!»7 
1!>7, L98, 
appropriation 

58 
58 
52, 58 



It:; 
137 
99 
52 
49 



Schools, rate of support, fixed, '.»•-' 

select, 198 

seventy-five pounds fur, 72 

$1,060.20 for. MO 

town system, 197 

|l,200for, lj s 

$200 extra for. 1. 1 

|250 extra for, b s :'> 

School-books, early, 288 

three years used, 170 

School-committee chosen, 122 
visits suspended, 

School-dist rlCt, Contoocook, 

divided, 

School-districts by roads, 

nineteen, 

sums made up, 

territorial, 

thirteen, 

twenty, 

twenty-one, 

Union, 
School-houses, 
for, 

dimensions of, 

vote not to build, 

vote to build, 58 

Schooling, eight parts for, ~~ 

Seal, first used, 95 

Searls, Jonathan, called, ~>- 
Second Congregational Society, 185 

Second Regiment, soldiers of. 1.~>S 
Securities, collect ion suspended, ] I 1 

town, collected. 143 

I'. S„ selectmen to collect, L35 

Seeko, slave, -?7 1 
Selectmen, accounts examined. L2 1 

check-list for, 158 

of Hopkinton. •">()() 

to borrow $4,000, i:,n 

to dispose of poor, 111. 118, L20 

to hire $l,(Mio. 180, 187 

to inquire about road, 1 L2 

to propose oaths, 7 1 

Select schools, 198 

teachers of, 198 

Senators from Hopkinton, 4ii7 

Sermon, ancient. 23 1 

Settlement of Bow claim. K> 

Settlements, conditions of, 18 

Settlers, new, admitted, 20 

of Hopkinton, 10 
Seventh Regiment, soldiers 

of, 162 



580 



LIFE A1STD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 



Seven Years' War, 29 

Shade trees, village, 7, 327, 341 
Sham-fight, boys', 245 

Sham-fights, 245 

Sharpshooters, first, soldier of, 168 
second, soldiers of, 168 

Sheep improved, 223, 225 

Sibley's brook, 562 

Sibley, Stephen, 466 

settlement with, 134 

to receive deposits, 134 

Silk manufacture, 229, 430 

Silver, Abiel, 467 

James B., first to enlist, 156 

James Buswell, 467 

Simpson, Samuel, 468 

Singers, concert, list of, 544 

leading, 67 

Singing pews, 51, 67, 121 

Sixteenth Regiment, soldiers of,165 
Sixth Regiment, soldiers of, 161 
Slaves, two, 58, 271 

Sleeper & Wheeler tavern, 218 

Sleeper, Nehemiah D., 468 

Sleigh, first in town, 252 

Small-pox, 95 

Smart, Durrill, 469 

Elijah, petition of, 555 

Smiley's mill, 562 

Smith, Aaron, 472 

Andrew S., 472 

Carlos, 471 

Ethan, 470 

installed, 99 

proposition refused, 113 

salary of, 99 

works of, 234 

Isaac, 471 

James, 469 

Smith's pond, 562, 

Social gatherings, ancient, 253 
Societies, religious, and par- 
sonage fund, 235 
Society, higher, ancient, 254 
of Christian Endeavor, 189 
Soil of Hopkinton. 6 
Soldier, British, disguised, 110 
Soldiers, credited to town, 158 
depart for Portsmouth, 156 
1812, inarch through Hopkin- 
ton, 108 
1812, rendezvous at Concord, 108 
enlisted by Joab N". Patter- 
son, 156 



Soldiers' families aided, 156, 157 

Soldiers, great demand for, 157 

of 1861, bounties to, 157, 158 

list of, 158 

of 1812, _ 108 

bounties, 107 

of Mexican war, 145 

of Revolution, 62, 556, 557 

$1 each, 136 

pay to, refused, 90 

600,000 wanted, 156 

War of 1861, in other states, 169 

Solicitors from Hopkinton, 499 

South road, 562 

vote to widen, 154 

Spencer, Elijah, 472 

Spofford's brook, 562 

Springs of Hopkinton, 5 

Stage, Hopkinton and Concord, 241 

Stages in 1800, 98 

Stamps provided, 104 

Stanley, Clinton W., 473 

Horace C, 473 

Stanly's cove, 562 

Stanwood, Frederick W., 474 

Henry P., 474 

Joseph, 474 

Stark, James, 475 

Patrick H., enlisting officer, 157 

State bank, 94 

capital, committee on, 116 

located, 114 

police opposed, 171 

president of, 69 

Stevens, Edgar W., 475 

Gilmon A., 475 

Stocker, Michael, note, 553 

Samuel, goes to war, 548 

William, goes to war, 274 

Stock farm in early times, 223 

Stock, railroad, taken, 146 



Stocks built, 68 


,275 


Stone, abundance of, 


224 


Clarendon A., 


475 


bridge, Henniker New, 


139 


RowelPs, 


142 


Tyler's, 


134 


walls, huge, 


224 


Story, David B., 


477 


Isaac, 


476 


James K., 


477 


Jeremiah, descendants of, 


476 


Jeremiah S., 


477 


Story's hill, 


562 



INDEX. 



581 



Stove, first in town, 251 

Stoves, ancient, 251 

Straw, Edmund S., 479 

Jacob, 479 

innocent, 77 

John S., 479 

Samuel B., 478 

William S., 478 

Stumpfield, 562 

cemetery fence, 101, 176 

Sugar hill, 562 

Suits, law, ruled out, 83 

Sumter, fort, bombarded, 155 

Sunday-schools, first, 184 

Sunday travel referred, 112, 235 
Superintending School Com- 
mittee, contest over, 181 
tenure of office, 175 

Surface of Hopkinton, 3 

Surgeons of Hopkinton, 515 

Surgeon's Mates of Hopkinton, 515 
Surplus interest, applied to 

poll tax, 136 

money, 134 

revenue, division reconsid- 
ered, 142 
for town charges, 136 
interest divided, 136, 137 
Suspects of burning meeting- 
house, 77 
Surveyors', highway, warrants, 155 
Swallow, Moody, singular story,276 
Sweat, William M., 479 
Swine, to be yoked and ringed, 56 
to run at large, 95 
Symonds, Tilton, 480 

Taggart, John L., 480 

Tannery at village, 228 

Tavern fare, best, anecdote, 291 

Taverners' licenses, 257 

sundry, 221 

Taverns, first, 216 

first in Contoocook, 218 

in 1800, 97 

Tax, highway, winter, assessed, 

118, 123 
illegal, 144 

ministerial, thirty cents on 

poll, 105 

Taxes, cattle distrained for, 81 

collection struck off, 143 

ministerial, abated, 83, 105 

committee on, 81, 105 



Taxes referred, 80 

set up, 99 

portion abated, 144 

provincial in arrears, 44, 49 

Tax-payers, town report to 

record, 182 
Tebbets, John C, 481 
Teachers' Institute appropria- 
tion, 143, 144 
Teachers of select or private 

schools, 198 

Teachers' party, anecdote, 290 

Telegraph office, first, 242 

Telephone office, Contoocook, 242 

Hopkinton, 242 

Temperance reform, 257 

Tenney road, 563 

Tewksbury, Joseph, 481 

Robert H., 481 
Text-books, school, used three 

years, 170 

Thayer, Herbert E., 481 

The Fort, 563 

Grove, 563 

Lookout, 563 

Plain, 563 

Turnpike, 563 

Woodchuck, 563 

Thirteenth Regiment, soldier 

of, 164 

Thompson, Joseph S., 482 

Threshing machine, first, 337 

Throat distemper, 248 

Times, Hopkinton, 216 

Tippling shops, vote on, 149 

Toleration Act, 79, 1 14 

Tomb, 117 

inscription on, 261 

Tories, suspects denounced, 62 

Town-clerks to record deeds, 134 

Town-clerk, 184 

Town debt cancelled, 183 

funded, 171 

Towne, Joseph, 482 

Thomas, claim of, 111 

Town expenses, $3,000 for, 143 

farm, committee to sell, 172 

lumber, to fence cemetery, 171 

meadow cleared, 153 

sale of, opposed, 171 

vote to sell, 171 

Town-house, academy in, 122, 201 

attempted injunction, 173 

blinds, 176 



582 



LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKESTTOlSr. 



Town-house burnt, 172, 203 

controversy over, 172 

for Episcopalians, 123 

for General Court, 100 

painted, 144 

rebuilt, 173 

repairs, 106, 175 

school in, voted, 93, 121 

Town-meeting at Contoocook, 173 
authorized, 45 

Congregational, 84, 86 

first, in town-house, 89 

first, minutes of, 47 

first, warrant, 45 

notified at town-house, 90 

under constitution, minutes, 71 
under constitution, warrant, 70 
warrant defective, 171 

meetings, dates of, 103 

legalized, 95 

offices, American, 152 

officers, first, 47 

under constitution, 71 

pauper farm, report, 150 

plan of, 103 

powder sold, 103 

report printed, 136, 140, 143 
to record tax-payers, 182 

safe purchased, 150 

Town system of schools, 197, 198 
warrants, Revolution, 232 

Towns, new county of, conven- 
tion on, 95 
of Hillsborough county, 87 

Trade in 1800, 98 

1889, 231 

1810, 230 

1823, 119 

1820, 545 

influence of large places, 231 
in 1791, 230 

prosperity of, 230 

Training Band, 60, 206 

conduct of, 245, 246 

days, 244 

field, 563 

leased, 91 

money divided, 106 

Tramp houses huilt, 176 

Travel, customs of 240 

shortened, 240 

Sunday, referred, 112, 235 

Treasurer from Hopkinton, 499 

Treasurers of Hopkinton, 506 



Tributaries of Contoocook river, 

5, 20 
Trinity Chapter, 208, 210 

Troop, the, 207 

Trout fishing prohibited, 183 

Truant by-law passed, 183 

Tubbs, Michael, 249 

Tucker, David, 483 

Turnpike, Londonderry Branch, 

111,112 

Tuttle, Charles jSL, 484 

James, 483 

John W. E., 484 

Tyler, Cyril C, 484 

Lucius H., 485 

Tyler's, 563 

bridge, "nigh to," 100 

curious vote, 130 

fifty days' work for, 94 

inspected, 100 

of stone, 134 

$1000 for, 183 

rebuilt. 134, 148, 153 

Tythingmen, 112, 235 

Uniforms, militia, 207 

Union Grange, 210 

school-districts, 197 
United States books, provision 

for, 100 

deposits, 134 

Sharpshooters, 168 

Universalism in N". H., 193 

Universalist church, 193, 194 

church sold, 194 

Family Visitor, 194 

ministers, 194 

Utensils, farm, early, 252 

kitchen, ancient, 252 

Vaccination, law for, adopted, 169 

Vault, fire proof, 183 

Veterans' Association, 182 

Village Aqueduct, 242, 243 

cemetery fence, 95, 104, 176 

estates, 119 

fire precinct, 243 

post-masters, 514 

shade trees, 7, 327, 341 

tannery, 228 

Visiting school-committee, 122 

Volunteer Act repealed, 108 

Votei', a, anecdote of, 289 

Votes, dissents against, 17 



INDEX. 



583 



Wads worth, Augustus B., 485 

Wanes, affected by currency, 66 
Wall, dedication of, 285 

War, danger of, 29, 37 

materials enumerated, 56 

Mexican, 145 

Warrant, first meeting of 

grantees, 15 

first town-meeting, l~> 

first under constitution, 70 

for town-meeting, defective. 171 
Warrants of highway surveyors. 1 55 
town, Revolution, 232 

War rates, 60, 61 

supplies voted, 60 

Washington Lodge, 211 

Waterbury, AYillard E., 485 

Way's brook, '>'>'■'> 

Way, William, 486 

Weare, pauper account with, 142 
town of, paid, 128 

Weather-cock, meeting-house, 184 
Webber, Cyril T., 488 

Isaiah, 486 

music of, 487, 544 

Jeremiah S., 488 

Seth, 487 

Weeks, N. Cogswell, 489 

Thomas Jefferson, 489 

William, 488, 546, 552 

Weights and measures, 95, 103, 104 
described, 104, 240 

-Wells, Edwin R., 490 

in village, 242 

Thomas Goodwin, 489 

Wentworth, Gov. Benning, pe- 
titions to, 32, 1-2 
Westerly meeting-house, 86, 185 
West Hopkinton, first post- 
office, 242 
mills at, 227, 229 
post-masters, 514 
Wheelbarrow, first in town, 252 
Whig party, 124 



Whipping-post, 275 

White, Henry Dewey, 491 

Thomas. 491 

Whittier, Jacob, 491 

Whittier's pond, 564 

Wiggin, Benjamin, 492 

Wiggin's tavern, 216 

Wilson, Jeremiah W., 492 

Windows of meeting-house, 51 
Winter highway tax assessed, 

118, 123 

Winter road, 563 

Witchcraft, 262 

church troubled by, 266 

explanation of, 265 

incantations against, 264 

Witches, two, 264 

Witch, exploit of, 264 

Wolf Meadow, 564 

drained, 137 

Wolf, singular capture of, 27 1 

Wolves, bounty for, 72 
Woman's Auxiliary Board of 

Missions, 186 

Mission Circle, 189 

Relief Corps, 212 

"Women, man whipped by, 275 

Woodchuck, the, 563 

Wood, early cheapness of, 223 

Woodman, Joseph, called, 52 

Woods, native of Hopkinton, 7 

Wood well, David, aid to, 31 

Woodwell family captured, 30 

Mary, 493 
Woodwell's garrison, capture at, 

30, 535 

location of, 30 

Wool, decline of product, 223 

success in raising, 223 

Wyman, Ebenezer, 494 

Yarn, a regular one, 296 

Young, John Kimball, 494 




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